Yours Adam Milligan Love Story Supernatural Love Story AU
by Mia Davenport
Summary: Mia is a normal girl with a dark past. When she meets the Winchesters, her world gets turned upside down. *AU to where Adam has been hunting with Sam and Dean since Jump The Shark, where Samandriel still lives, where Lilith is still alive and she needs a vessel, where Crowley is still the king of hell, and where Kevin is alive.* RATED M.


Yours. A Supernatural love story (Adam Milligan love story). *Mia's POV* Hi. My name is Mia Teresa Comenzo and I'm 16 years old. I have light blonde hair and blue eyes. Boys would always whistle when I walked by, so now I just ignore them. I don't like being in the center of attention. It makes me feel awkward and fidgety. I'm a quiet person, I tend to be by myself and I am invisible to most people. I would get called a slut and a faggot and a whore and a bitch all the time at school, so I would just sit in the back of the classroom, far away from people, not uttering a single word, even when the teacher asks me a question. I just stare down, praying like hell I don't get called on again. Everyone in my class would snicker and smirk and poke my face, trying to get me to talk while I would try not to cry. It doesn't work. I would let a tear slip, and people would call me weak. People, especially girls, would bully me every single day, at every available moment. I usually sat by myself in the cafeteria, and try my best to not get in anyone's way. I do my best to be unseen by most people, because I can't trust them. If I open myself up to someone, they'll find a way to break me, and I'll just end up getting hurt. They always do. They always have been able too. I haven't been to school in two years because of the constant bullying. My mom is dead, she got killed instantly in a house fire, pinned up on the ceiling, with her abdomen sliced. Her body burned up, 12 years ago. I have no brothers or sisters. I would've been an older sister, too. My mom was pregnant with twins, a girl and a boy. 10 years and a month and a half later, my father abused me, physically and mentally, calling me a whore and worthless and a waste of space, while slapping me repeatedly and hurting me everywhere. When I was fourteen years old, I started to cut. I have scars to prove it. My dad is dead. He died in a car crash about two months ago. I've been having nightmares lately, more than usual. I can't explain them. They just get worse and worse every night. I would always wake up in my bed, shaking horribly, eyes wide, sweat beading on my forehead while I try not to scream. I sigh quickly, muttering, "God, why am I so worthless?" I sigh again, looking out the window. I just remembered, I need to get food from the store. I walk downstairs and grab my jacket from the couch. The store isn't that far, only two blocks. As I walk down the street, I remember one memory of my dad abusing me. 'My life consists of this: Getting up, eating whatever food I can, before Dad wakes up, getting hit by Dad, once he does get up, do my daily thousands of chores, continually get abused by Dad, trying not to cry, otherwise that'll result in more threats to kill me and more abuse, and finally fall asleep at the end of the day in another fury of nightmares. I hate life, I've told myself that thousands of times. Every time I do, I think... Mom wants me to live. Live life for Mom, not myself. Besides, when does my life matter? When has it ever? And of course, Dad has told me that I don't deserve to live, millions of times. He always tells me that, but he never does kill me. Just beating me with an inch of my life. He makes me suffer, as punishment for letting Mom and my unborn siblings die. I always tell myself that it's not my fault, but deep down, in the roots of my stomach, I can't help but feel that Mom and my unborn brother's and sister's deaths are my fault. Because of that small voice in me, telling me that constantly, I let myself suffer. It would be so easy to just kill myself, but that's too easy. I could've done that a long, long time ago. I cut. Cutting is a relief for me. "MIA!" Dad screamed my name, and it echoed though the house. I'm not sure if he's drunk. If he wasn't, I knew that it wouldn't change his angry mood. I walked up to Dad, obediently. He stood there, his fists balled, tapping his foot impatiently against the floor. The sight of him, with a beer bottle curled up in one hand, his hair matted and greasy, his face twisted up in rage and disgusted at the sight of me, wanted to make me flinch, but I didn't. If I did, that would result in abuse. As usual, I didn't say a word. "Not gonna speak, eh?" Dad's voice was slurring heavily, without a doubt, he was drunk. Either way, no matter what the consequences of his state, drunk or not, he'd hit me. He'd wake up next morning, not remember anything, abuse me, call me a million horrible names, a disgrace, a waste of space, a whore, a bitch, then go out and get drunk again and again and again. It's the same process, over and over again. The same thing, every day. He does it every day. I was right. He slapped me across my face, leaving that stinging sensation. It's usual, so it barely bothers me anymore. He grabs my hair and throws me to the ground, slapping my face once again. "You know what day it is?" Dad said, looking down at me, in his drunken tone. His fist balled up again, and I braced myself to get hit. I slowly nodded in reply, slowly getting up, wincing, then looking at the floor. Slapping me once, he forcefully grabbed my head, so I was facing him, eye to eye. I gulped, hoping he wouldn't see the fear in my eyes. "You, the miserable slut, is sixteen today," Dad answered grinning, his hot breath sending shivers of disgust, dread, nervousness and fear down my back. "Happy birthday, you fucking retarded whore! And, technically, in my mind, you're an adult. Therefore, I don't need to take care of you! I don't have to look at your ugly face, you miserable, fucked up, god damn slut!" I was about to cry, but held it in, because I didn't want to be hit. I stood there, unable to figure out what to do. My dad glared daggers at me and hit me across the face, two times, sharp and powerful blows. I felt my face burn, as if someone placed a blowtorch in front of my face. "Get out!" My dad yelled. I cowered back. I put my two hands together, and lifted them up in front of my face, to show I was begging him to let me stay. He hit me again, glaring at me with hate filled eyes. They used to be full of life... "GET OUT!" Dad screamed. I quickly ran out, and I heard my dad laughing manically at me. I heard him cough, once, twice, then i heard the bottle tip, and the liquor rushing out of the glass bottle, streaming out in a thick gust, like it was glad to be free. I watched him take a drink, one long sip, until it was empty. He stared at it, like he couldn't believe that it was empty. He frowned, and yelled: "FUCK YOU! I WANT MY GOD DAMNED BEER, YOU WORTHLESS WHORE! YOU NEED TO DIE, BITCH!" To the open air, like there was actually a person there. He muttered and growled at the imaginary figure standing in front of him, then he threw the bottle across the room, where it hit the wall with a loud crash, and the pieces flew down and all over, broken and shattered glass hitting the ground, like heavy rain. Muttering over the loss of his bottle, which now was left all over the floor, broken, useless, and a waste of space, He took another canteen of alcohol out of his pocket, and began to drink. He coughed again. He began to turn around. Quickly turning away so he wouldn't see me, I ran and didn't look back once. I started to wander the streets aimlessly. I felt scared and confused. How could he kick me out like that? Oh god, How will I live? I-I'm so scared. I felt like I didn't have any reason to live anymore. I loved Mom and my unborn brother and my unborn sister, but dealing with this is too much. I would much rather die than suffer anymore. I hope Mom will understand. After about an hour, I collapsed in a dark alley and began to cry. I wanted to live, for Mom, but I can't. What if she'll be angry with me? I begin to cry more. I kept thinking of how easy it would be to kill myself and how all my problems would be solved, everything will be better if I'm gone, ending the pain, the abuse, the worry, but for some reason I am scared. Well, I always have been scared, of everything, even my own reflection. To see my hollow cheeks, my glassy eyes, my scars, everything. I always, always see myself weak. Broken. Pathetic. I had thought of killing myself multiple times, so why am I so sad now? I felt faint-headed, so I put my head in my lap and pushed my knees against my chest, making myself as small as possible. I wish I could just fade, just die, and my pain would end. I started crying more, silently. I never cried with noise, dad would've beaten me if I did.' I shiver, thinking of that day. I still break down. I feel like I'm unfixable, that I am worthless, that I am weak. There's always going to be that little voice in my head saying: "your worthless, you ugly ass bitch." I shake my head, and I realize I'm at the entrance to the store. I walk in and go over to the meat section. I order ham and say thank you to the man and grab milk, cheese and butter. I walk around and grab chips from the rack. After a while, I have everything. I walk over to the cashier, a red haired teenager, with pale green eyes. I hand him my money for the food. "Thank you." I say. He smiles, nods, and blinks. For a second, his eyes turn dark, literally, a black color, like midnight, but only his pupils are white. I blink again, frowning, and his eyes change back to the pale green color. Maybe I just imagined it. He waves as I walk away, as if nothing ever happened. I frown again. That was really weird. I walk into my house and set the groceries on the counter. I get into my pajamas and fall into a dreamless sleep. *One hour later* I wake up, rubbing my eyes. I stretch, and I hear the bones loosen up in my arms. I shuffle out of my bed, and get dressed. I don't really know what happened there at the store. It was really weird. Maybe I was just tired, or maybe it was a trick of the light. *Two hours later* I glance over at the clock and it blinks six o'clock pm. I make a grilled cheese and eat it slowly, which gives me time to think. Who was that man at the store, and why did his eyes turn black? I sigh, putting away my plate in the sink. I watch television for an hour, quickly becoming increasingly bored. I need something to do. I sigh, walking out the door. The cold air hits my face immediately, and I shiver, holding my jacket closer to my body. I tuck my golden hair behind my ear. Surprisingly, the sky turned dark in just a short time. I miss my mom and my unborn siblings, even after all these years. They died, all because of me. It's all my fault. I feel tears well up in the back of my throat. I feel bile burn in the back of my throat. It's all my fault. After about an hour of wandering, I collapse in a dark alley and began to cry, loud, heart broken sobs. After a couple of minutes, I wipe away my tears, but the hot, salty tears are still slipping down my face. I hear someone coming, so I move away from the general direction of the feet. There's a loud crash coming off to my right. I force to keep my breathing light, making myself small, but sweat is building on my forehead. I wait a minute, two. I think it's safe. I crawl out of my hiding place. Then, a face appears in front of me, and I jump out of my skin. "Hello, pretty girl." The man says in a thick English accent, his disgusting breath streams like smoke in my face. The man pins me back into the wall. "Ge-get away from m-me!" I yell, struggling away from his grasp. "Now, why would I do that?" He asks, grinning. I struggle again, and that's when I find my voice. "HELP!" I scream. My voice echoes off the dark alleyway. "HELP! HELP! PLEASE, SOMEONE HELP ME! PLEASE!" I scream again, and my voice echoes off the alleyway again. "Shut up!" The man growls in my face. "No more screaming, little lady. Or there's going to be consequences." He takes out a knife from his back pocket. It glints wickedly in the moonlight. My eyes grow wide. I give one last final effort, yelling "HELP!" I hear more feet pound against the pavement. At least two or possibly three feet pound on the ground, coming near where we stand. Uh-oh. The man ignores the feet running towards us. "Oh, what a shame," the man said, sighing in fake pity, "that I have to kill you." The man raises his knife, and cuts my arm quickly and my stomach deeply. I wince, then begin screaming from the pain. He raises the knife again, and I begin screaming, once again. "Hey!" Says one of the men, out of the three, tallest out of the three men, with brown hair and brown eyes. "Get your hands off her." He says, growling at the man, like he knows my attacker. "Well," says the man distastefully, humming in annoyance. "If it isn't the Winchesters. How ya been? Sam? Dean? Adam?" The man who spoke before, Sam, stiffens. The other one, who I assume is Dean, snarls at the man. "Put the knife down, now, Crowley. Then maybe we won't have to kick your oh-so-delicate- god damn ass." "Um, no." The man, Crowley, says, rolling his eyes. Sam and Dean move towards me, and the knife is up at my throat in an instant. "Let the girl go, you son of a bitch! She's innocent!" Says another man, with light blonde hair and blue eyes. I assume he's Adam. "Well, Adam, aren't your looking well. How's life? Your mom?" Says Crowley. I can tell that got under his skin. Adam glares at him, but I see the fear, the flat out rage, and the concern for a weak, pathetic, broken person like me in his eyes. "Let her go!" Sam yells. "I said, no." Crowley snaps. The knife digs a little deeper into my neck. I gasp, and the three boys stiffen, trying to get to me. I have a feeling that if they move any closer, shift, anything, I'd die and that'd be it. Over. Done with. "What do you want with her, You asshole?" Sam asks warily. "Leave her alone! You son of a bitch!" Adam yells. Crowley snickers. "Gotta save a damsel in distress, right, Adam? Simple as that. Nothing more, nothing less. Maybe she'll give you three maggots under my boot a sweet little kiss. Hey, you never know. Anything's possible." He shrugs, like it doesn't matter. I wanted to tell him to shut up, but there's a knife at my neck. I manage to moan, and the knife goes closer to my neck. A warning. "Just let her go." All three boys say warily, looking at me. Dean looks about ready to snap Crowley's neck. Sam's hands are balled, shooting Crowley a death glare that could kill a thousand times over. Adam looks like he wants to do both, throw him in a dumpster, drop him from the tallest building in the world, kick him on the face, burn his bones in a pit of boiling acid. "Fine, fine." Crowley says sarcastically. Then, as fast as thought itself, he smashes my body into the cement building. I feel pain, agony, and I scream, over and over. I crumple to the ground, and I scream once again. "No!" Adam, Dean, and Sam yell. Dean and Sam take out weapons, rifles. What...? They aim it at Crowley, who smirks. "Really now boys, you want to do that? With the girl near? You could shoot her, not me. Why risk the worthless girl's life? Your gonna shoot me?" The boys give steely glances at Crowley, then they glance at my broken figure. "Yes, now leave or I'll shoot your fat face off, you son of a bitch!" Dean growls. Adam slowly moves towards me, keeping his eye on Crowley. Adam's blue eyes lock with Sam's and Dean's, and a understanding passes though the boys, and Dean and Sam nod. Dean and Sam run towards Crowley, and punches him in the face simultaneously. Dean punches him in the face, while Sam punches him in the stomach and gut. Adam runs towards me, dodging Crowley, and shields me from Crowley. Crowley snarls at us, and throws Adam away from me. Adam tries to get up, but he fails, because Crowley threw him pretty hard. Crowley's eyes glint evilly at me, eyeing me like I'm a fresh piece of meat. He starts slapping me, then repeatedly punching me. I yell and scream in pain, and my head quickly fills with images of my dad, doing the exact same thing, without a worry in the world. Adam gets up and punches his face. Crowley stumbles back, glaring at me. "Close your eyes!" Dean warns us. I close my eyes. I hear him taking out a blade, a scream that follows, and I hear a body collapse to the ground, with a heavy thump. "Ok, you can open your eyes now." Sam and Dean say. I breathe a sigh of relief. I thought it was Sam or Dean that fell. I open my eyes, and Adam does the same. "Is everyone ok?" Sam asks with a steady breath, inspecting any damage he might have. "Yeah, I'm good." I hear Dean call. "Adam?" Dean asks, looking at him. Adam doesn't reply, he just stares at me. "Adam-Hey, man, you alright?" Sam asks. Adam turns, and looks at them. "She's hurt." Adam mutters, looking at me. The words are barely audible. "Here, let me see." Dean walks to me, and looks at my injuries. The wound to the arm looks ok, but I have a feeling that the wound to my stomach is much more serious. I feel faint headed. I groan, my eyelids fluttering. "Please…Please d-don't hur-hurt m-me." I whisper, trying to move away, but it came out in a loud moan. Sam and Dean exchange a worried look, and lower their rifles. "Dean, call 911." Sam says calmly. Dean doesn't hesitate. He whips out his phone, and dials 911. In less then twenty seconds, he talks to the operator and slips his phone into his coat pocket. "They'll be here in two minutes." Adam's eyes don't leave my face. "Here, put pressure on this," Adam says, taking off his sweatshirt. It's warm. I think to myself absentmindedly. I take his sweatshirt with trembling hands, and shakily put it on my bleeding stomach. Almost immediately, I can see black spots dancing around my eyes. The boys worried faces blur a little. "Your going to be ok..." Dean says softly. I nod. I really want to fall asleep. Sleeping sounds inviting right now. Sleep… I'm in pain right now, searing horrible pain. I groan, trying not to black out. Sam looks disgustedly at Crowley's unconscious body, and kicks his unconscious body. I hear sirens wail, about a block away from us. My breathing begins to shallow. Dean taps his foot impatiently. Sam is running his hand though his hair. Adam stares at me, his eyes worried and concerned. I give a weak smile to the boys. Sam smiles back weakly. I just met these boys, and they are saving my poor excuse for a life. Wow. It feels like angels are watching over me. "Your gonna be ok. I promise." I can't tell who said that, it was possibly Adam. I weakly nod. I feel a warm hand grasp mine, and I give a small squeeze. I feel myself slip in and out of consciousness. I hear the ambulance's sirens wail, and the bright red light streams across the bright red brick walls. I hear paramedics bark orders to each other, and everything swirls, once, twice, three times. I'm lifted up and put onto a warm gurney, everything swirls, then goes black. *Adam's POV* "We need to go with her!" Dean exclaims. "Are you her friends, family?" "We're her friends." Sam says, trying to get in the ambulance. My brother is gigantic. He's like a giant. "Alright. Come on." I feel helpless, just watching her. She seems like a nice girl, innocent, pure, caring, sweet. We all just stand there, looking at her body. Why did Crowley attack her? I don't even know her name. "She'll be alright." Dean says shakily, putting a hand on my shoulder. I nod, but don't take my eyes off her. "I don't even know her name." I mumble. "She's completely innocent. She didn't do anything. That son of a bitch Crowley just attacked her." Sam says, looking down at the girl with sad eyes. We stay silent. All the sudden, the girl starts shaking. "What's wrong with her?" Dean demands, his eyes growing wide. "She's having a seizure. We need you to back up, please." I grip her hand tighter. "No!" I say, still gripping her hand. "Sir, now!" He demands. "Adam, now." Dean says, pulling me back. "Female, middle teens," he says into a microphone. The ambulance stops, and the doors fly open. They take the cot and wheel it into the hospital. We all rush into the hospital, sam and dean close behind me. The door opens to the operating room, and I start sprinting. The door shuts with a loud thunk, and I try to enter the room. "We need to go in with her!" I try to move past a doctor. "No. This is critical. You need to wait here, please." My eyes grow wide, and I begin to move into the room. I see the girl's broken form, bleeding heavily and her face deathly pale. "No. Stay here sir." "No!" I start yelling. I don't know why I'm so protective of her, even though I don't know her name, much less anything about her. "Sir, now!" He pushes me back into Dean and Sam. I get furious. I start struggling to get to the operating room. Dean and Sam hold me back tighter. "Let me go!" I snarl. "I want to see her!" "Sir, you can't!" I yell in frustration and yank out of Sam and Dean's grip. I stomp towards the doctor and punch him. "I want to see her!" I yell again. "Adam, stop!" Sam exclaims. I turn quickly. "No! That son of a bitch Crowley did this to her! She didn't deserve any of it! I want to see her!" "Adam, stop!" Dean says forcefully. I still scream and yell in anger. Eventually, I calm down. I'm not sure, but I think her heart stops once. Sam comes over and wraps his arms around me, because I think he can see how much pain I'm in. Sam doesn't say anything, but I see tears in his eyes. In less then thirty seconds, the tears slip from his eyes and stream down his face. Dean just stares in the operating room, completely devastated and heartbroken. I can't tell he's trying to be strong, since he's the oldest, but I can see a few stray tears slip down his cheek. His emotions are mixed. He would go from sadness to grief to horrified to worried to complete rage, and back to sadness. Every now and again, Dean would get full blown pissed off, clench his jaw, ball up his fist, tap his foot angrily and impatiently against the cold tiled ground, and have to go walk around the hospital, because he can't hit anything. After the second or third walk, he slumps down in the chair next to us, puts his face in his hands, and rocks back and forth in the chair. "Dean…Um, do you think you could pray? To Castiel?" Sam murmurs next to me. "Ok." Dean closes his eyes, concentrates, and says: "Hey, Cas, we need you. So get your angelic ass down here. Our friend is dying..." He stops, faltering, and takes a deep breath. "So…um, if you could come down...that'd be great. Please, Castiel, Please." A moment later, I hear wings flapping, and Dean opens his eyes. Castiel stands there. He nods a quick hello, and turns towards the operating room. He looks in the glass, and looks at the girl's broken figure. He disappears, then reappears about ten seconds later. "Is…Is she going to be ok?" Sam asks, glancing at the doorway. "Yes. She will wake in a minute." The doctor comes out, with a big goofy grin on his face. "Good news, she's awake! You can come in now." We all rush inside. *Mia's POV* I don't remember anything. Why I'm here. How or when I got here. I know I'm in a hospital, but I don't know why I am here. I see the three boys walk in, followed by a fourth. The boys immediately come to my bedside, while the other one hangs back. "U-um..." I frown. "Sa-Sam?" I whisper. "Are you ok? Do you need me to call a doctor? A nurse? Are you in pain? Do you need anything?" Sam asks frantically. "No...why am I here? What happened?" "Crowley…" I understand immediately. "Oh." I say in a small voice. That's when I notice the man in the tan trench coat. "Who is he?" I frown. "This is Castiel." Castiel nods a hello. I smile back. "Castiel...vessel of Jimmy...Um...Novak?" I ask, frowning. My friends stare at me. The man, Castiel, frowns. He takes out a blade, and my eyes grow wide. My monitors start beeping rapidly. "Cas, god damnit, put the blade away. Your scaring her!" Dean demands. "She is not an angel. Or a demon! She's human." I swear I saw Sam flinch a bit. Then, in a lighter tone, almost a cooing way, Dean asks me, "Do you know Cas?" I shake my head. I've never heard of him in my life before. "What is your name?" Sam asks, changing the subject. "Mia." I reply. "Mia... That's a nice name. A very pretty name for a very pretty girl like you." Dean says smirking. I blush, and Sam smacks his arm. "How old are you?" "16." I reply. "Adam, are you ok?" Sam asks his younger brother. Adam nods, but doesn't say anything. He stares at me. "Mia...I am so sorry." I frown. "For what?" "Getting you into all this mess. I couldn't get up when Crowley slapped you." Oh. Right. That. I shake my head. I don't blame him. "Don't blame yourself, Adam. You were just trying to protect me. If it was you, or anyone else, Sam, Dean, a fourteen year old, whatever, I would've done the exact same thing. I wouldn't do it any other way." I reply. Adam simply nods. A nurse pokes her head in. "Mia, its time for dinner, then for bed." I sigh. "Ok." I turn to the boys. "You guys better go." "Alright. We can exchange numbers, and theres this other guy, his name is Bobby. Will you call him if we can't get to you? he's a friend. Will you call us if you need anything? Or pray, to Castiel?" I nod. "Alright, bye Mia." "Bye!" I say. The boys begin to leave. "Oh, Adam, hold on a second." "Guys, you go on ahead. I'll catch up in a minute." Adam says. "Alright, and Adam, don't do anything I wouldn't do!" I hear Dean say, laughing as he exits my room. Sam rolls his eyes, says goodbye to me, and leaves. Adam comes to my bedside. "Thank you, for, you know, protecting me." "Your welcome." "Adam, can I ask you something?" "Sure." "Will you tell me everything? Like, why do you guys do for a living? And what is this stuff about Hunters, Angels, Demons, and Monsters?" He tells me everything. He tells me that he is the son of John Winchester and Kate Milligan, the youngest Winchester, and half-brother to Sam and Dean. In January 1997, his mother met John Winchester in Windom, Minnesota when he came into the hospital where she worked as a nurse, when he was injured during a hunt. He told me was born on September 29, 1997. He didn't have any contact with his father until he was twelve. After the initial meeting, he had sporadic contact with his father who taught him pool and poker, took him to baseball games on his birthday. He was studying pre-med at the University of Wisconsin. He explains how his mother was killed by a Ghoul, and took on his mother's form. He barely escaped with his life. He explained how he sat on the bed of a small motel room in Nashville, Tennessee, with one hand clutching a big of frozen peas to his eye after he got punched in the face by his ghoul mother. Dean and Sam were burning his mothers body in the woods on the side of a random dark dirt road, not far from the motel room. All the while, trying to ignore the pain in his back. He was trying desperately hard not to show his brothers (mainly Dean) how much emotional pain that ghoul, that liar, that bitch, which had been pretending to be his mother for three and a half years, had really inflicted on him. Adam tells me what Dean and Sam told him long ago, about the angels, the monsters, the ghosts, the hunters, and the demons. He tells me that hunters are men and women who spend their lives hunting supernatural creatures, generally to kill them. Most appear to have had some kind of negative encounter with the supernatural (for example a relative being killed by demons, a spouse or a friend being possessed by a demon, or a sibling being turned by a vampire), which prompts them to become hunters. While hunters, by their nature, operate 'off-the-grid' (typically hunters support themselves via credit card fraud, although some have been shown to have actual jobs, such as the Singer Salvage Yard), there are, nevertheless, hunter communities that meet and interact with each other to exchange information and stories; the Harvelle Roadhouse was one such location until it was burnt down. Many good people died in that fire, set off by demons, in hopes to kill Sam, Adam and Dean. Typically, hunters find cases by consulting newspapers to track down information about suspicious deaths in certain areas. Some cases come about thanks to contact with people they knew before becoming hunters or contact with people they helped during previous hunts who turn to them for their expertise. John Winchester, Adam's father, was a particularly prominent hunter in his day, although Sam, himself and Dean were seemingly ignorant of the wider hunter community until after his death. Despite their skills, Adam's brothers, including himself, generally have an awkward relationship with other hunters due to their unintentional role in many major demonic plans. A ghost is the spirit of a deceased person that, for some reason or another, was unable to pass on to the next life, or whose rest had been disturbed. Ghosts are neither good nor evil, as their behavior is ultimately dictated by who they were in life and how they died. Normally, a ghost will start out confused and disorientated before realizing they are dead. In some cases, a trauma of sudden death can so great that a ghost will think that are still alive and continue in a routine from their lives, oblivious to the fact they are dead. A reaper named Tessa explained to Dean Winchester that the longer a ghost remains on earth the more dangerous and violent it becomes. Sam once explained to the ghost of a woman they helped that ghosts can become like injured animals - they become so angry and upset that all they can do is lash out at anyone who crosses their paths. Ghosts have skewed views of existence as Sam puts it, "ghosts only see what they want to see." It's also been stated as a fact that ghosts are the most common type of paranormal activity that Hunters encounter and hunt on a daily basis. Ghosts are often bound to an object or a place, normally the building they died or lived in or the area they died at, as such their movements are restricted, but this isn't universal, and some very powerful ghosts can move over larger distances, but unless they can move what they're bound to, they can never be totally free. They are also sometimes bound to their bodies, unless their bodies have been put to rest. He explains that Angels are Children of God, making them extremely powerful spiritual beings. Merely perceiving their true form - even psychically - typically results in blindness, as the appearance of their natural "visage" is completely overwhelming; it is capable of burning an individual's eyes from their sockets, making people bleed from their eyes and ears, resulting in blindness, deafness and even death, and shattering glass. A whole town could be wiped out. Certain "special people" are able to withstand their true appearances and voices, (which sound like a high pitched ringing). Himself, Sam, Dean, Bobby, Castiel, and possibly me, are able to withstand this. An angel's wings can be seen through their shadows. Angels are immortal and can heal from any wound they receive as well as being unaffected by disease, but they can be harmed by more powerful beings. However, they can be killed by archangels and the sword of an angel, which can be used by anyone. Upon an angel's death, an enormous release of energy ensues and light which seemingly burns the mark of the angel's wings into the ground. He tells me that a women named Keira, had befriended them, gained their trust, took them to an abandoned warehouse, trapped them, and tried to kill them. Castiel killed her, and her wings appeared on the spot where she died. He tells me that Enochian sigils and symbols written in blood can be used to repel or banish them from a place temporarily. Enochian magic can also be used to render humans invisible to angelic senses requiring them to use only their vessel's dull human senses to locate their target. There is also at least one incantation which can banish an angel back to Heaven which even demons can use. Because their true appearances cannot be safely perceived by humans and because they are spirits with no physical being, they often take on humans as vessels in order to exist in and interact with the physical world, though only with the hosts' consent. Like Castiel could with Jimmy Novak, Lucifer with Sam, and Adam with Michael. Angels require a particular vessel to reach their full potential, people being "chosen" to be their hosts or "true vessels". Vessels run in blood lines, and although only one person can be a "true" vessel, others in a particular bloodline have potential to be temporary vessels without suffering any ill affects. With archangels, the vessel suffers debilitating consequences for holding such a powerful being, leaving them brain dead or worse. If an archangel possesses someone who is not a "true" vessel or a blood-relative of one, the vessel will slowly decompose and eventually burst into flames. Adam explains how he was an alternate vessel, since Dean said no to Michael. A plan B. A backup plan. While in possession of human hosts, angels have shown a wide range of powers. In addition to telekinesis and superhuman strength, they possess the ability to kill or exorcise most demons simply by touching their palm to the forehead of the hosts, and can cause instant unconsciousness in humans through a similar action. They can heal humans or their wounds just by touching them. In addition to being able to vanish and materialize from thin air, they can also bend time and teleport themselves and others through time. However, although they can change events of time, said changed events will have the same results as the original timeline, as they cannot change destiny. More powerful angels have been shown to even be able to raise the dead, manipulate reality, and create solid things out of thin air. Angels who are cut off from Heaven gradually lose most of their abilities. This may be true of all high-ranking angels as Castiel retained all of his powers the second time he was cut off, even in Purgatory, though the experience weakened him for a time. Angels can become essentially human, but doing so is the most serious crime of Heaven. By removing his or her 'Grace', which is a very painful process, the angel falls to Earth from Heaven and is then born to human parents. All abilities and memories of his or her angelic life are suppressed, although small amounts can be recalled instinctively in times of need, with full memory recovery requiring methods such as hypnosis. When the Grace is first removed, it also falls to Earth. If the fallen angel retrieves his or her Grace, he or she will be restored to angelic form. Most angels are portrayed as emotionless, arrogant, authoritarian beings with a complete disdain and contempt for humanity. However, they consider themselves family, each being brothers and sisters and refer to God as their Father. However, most angels have not actually met God. The angels do not act with God's permission, as He is said to have disappeared and left the angels to protect humanity in His place. Adam tells me that Demons are generally portrayed as cruel and sadistic, often taking pleasure in causing humans pain, suffering, misery, depression, and guilt. As demons, the following characters come in varying forms due to their ability to enter the bodies of humans, either living or dead, and gain full control. Most often their eyes can appear black as a sign of possession, with some variations being red, yellow, or white. Demons are revealed to be human souls who have been corrupted by their time in Hell. Salting and burning the bones of the human body demons had while they were human can kill a demon. There are many types of Demons. Crossroad demons have red eyes. Unlike normal demons that serve the King of Hell, Crossroad Demons tend to be more self-serving, often bargaining with desperate people, making deals in exchange for their souls after a certain amount of time (usually ten years). They can grant wishes, collect souls, teleport, and be summoned by digging a hole in the center of a crossroads and burying a box with a picture of the summoner, some graveyard dirt, and a bone from a black cat. Gifted with immense power, these demons usually possess attractive women to lure men into making deals, although there are exceptions. An extremely powerful class of demons, white-eyed demons possess numerous powers, the most deadly being white light emanation. They are highly dangerous and they rank very highly in the hierarchy of Hell, just under Lucifer himself. They inspire fear in their subordinates as all other demons seem to be terrified of them. White-eyed demons are very powerful and are resistant to many demonic weaknesses. They are even capable of holding their own against regular angels. So far, the only known demons of this type are Lilith and Alastair, the former of which was the very first demon to be created. Azazel the only yellow-eyed demon in existence so far, and is incredibly powerful. Besides having a unique durability threshold, advanced telekinesis, he can manipulate fire, control dreams, make electrical devices go haywire, and can even possess Reapers. The leader of the demon army, Azaze, was the designer of the master plan to free Lucifer from Hell. He is impervious to Holy Water and most other conventional defenses against demons. Knights of Hell are very powerful demons that were handpicked by Lucifer himself. They are some of the first fallen demons. Legend among Men of Letters had it that archangels have destroyed all but at least one. They possess a number of abilities not seen from other types of demons. They are also near invulnerable, being immune to exorcism rites and even the demon-killing knife. Cambion are a demon race that are half demon but are also half human, they are created when a demon reproduces with a human, via their vessel. Their power grows when Lucifer is out of his cage. The Multicolor-Eyed Demon, Samhain, the origin of Halloween, who is summoned through three blood sacrifices; The Seven Deadly Sins, the physical embodiments of the Seven Cardinal Vices; The Daeva, Zoroastrian shadow demons, who are sometimes used by other demons to attack targets, but are difficult to control, and can turn on the demon controlling them. The demons that cause disasters, a rare type, each causes a specific type of disasters, both natural or man made (an example is causing deadly airplane crashes). They are also quite unique, as the form on Earth resembles insects more than smoke, they enter there victims through the eyes, and only the iris's turn black when possessing a victim. The Acheri, demons from Indian mythology that can spread disease, appearing as young girls with felinistic features. He tells me that Hellhounds are Demonic pitbulls that serve as pets, trackers, and assassins. He explains that Deva/Reshef, Demon of Plague and Pestilence, creator of the Croatoan Virus. May be a one of the Demons that causes disasters. He tells me that Sam and Dean have died many, many times, and resurrected every time. Dean is viciously mauled by Hell Hounds and dragged down to Hell due to a deal with a crossroads demon to resurrect Sam. Dean died in an alternate timeline, in the year 2014, when Lucifer snapped Future-Dean's neck. Sam, Adam and Dean are once again killed, ambushed by two hunters who blame them for the Apocalypse, but were resurrected by an angel named Joshua. Its revealed that this is not the first time they've died as its mentioned that they've gone to Heaven before but never remembered it. Dean died briefly to contact Death in order to get Sam's and his souls back. Dean dies again in an alternate timeline. He was strangled to death by Chronos, but Sam, himself and Jody Mills save him using a spell. He explains that that Sam has also died many times, but has been resurrected, too. His first death was when he was stabbed in the back by Jake Talley, where there was only supposed to be one survivor for a test where he and other "special children" of Alastair were potential vessels for Lucifer. He was resurrected by the Crossroads Demon, but Dean paid the ultimate price with his soul, only to be brought back from hell by the Angel, Castiel. Zachariah takes Sam's lungs, long enough for Sam to die briefly. Zachariah stabs Adam in the chest with a knife. Castiel orders him to return the boys back. Sam was killed by an angel named Anna to prevent him saying yes to Lucifer. Michael, not Adam Michael, brought him back however. Sam sacrificed himself by leaping into Lucifer's Cage, dragging Michael, Adam, and Lucifer down with him. Adam and Sam went briefly to Hell but got out, both staring at Dean's new family having dinner. Later, Dean realizes that Castiel brought them back but without a soul. When Death finally brought back their souls, he and Sam were fully revived. He tells me that a Monster is the collective name given to the children and descendants of Eve. Although referring to many different species, they all share a point of origin, and many share traits. They are supernatural creatures with extraordinary strength and powers, and commonly prey upon Humans. When they die, their souls are sent neither to Heaven nor Hell, but to Purgatory, a realm where the souls of supernatural creatures go after they die. Its physical location is separate from both Heaven and Hell. Crowley said that he estimates there are 30-40 million souls there. It was originally created by God to contain the oldest creatures, Leviathans, for fear they would destroy the rest of creation. We stay silent for a while. "Wow...that's a lot to take in." "Yeah. I know." Adam says quietly. "Thank you for telling me." I say. "Your welcome" "Well, um... You'd better get going." "Ok. You'll call us if you need anything?" "Yeah. I will." "Goodbye Mia." "Bye., Adam." He leaves, and I'm left alone with my thoughts. *Adam's POV* I walk to the Impala, where Sam and Dean are waiting for me, leaning on the side of the car. "Hey. You ready?" Sam asks. "Yeah. I'm ready" "What took you so long, Adam?" Dean asks, inquired. "Nothing, Dean." I mumble. "Did you get to second base?" Sam smacks his arm harshly, and Dean puts his hands up in mock innocence. "It wasn't like that!" I protest. "Sure, sure." Dean smirks. "Shut up." I say, my face growing bright red in the darkness. We pile into the Impala. "Anyway," Sam cuts in, a thoughtful look on his face, like he was trying to figure out what did take me so long. "What did take you so long?" I knew it. "Nothing," I say quickly. Dean frowns, then smirks. Leave it to my big brother, Dean, to make everything perverted. "She just wanted to talk, Dean. Say thank you for saving her life." At least that part is true. I couldn't imagine what my brothers would do if I told them everything, right from the source, themselves and Bobby, about Demons, Angels, Hunters, Monsters, the whole lot. Although I clearly could imagine though, Dean throwing a hissy fit, while Sam tries to keep his cool. Trust me, Dean getting into one of his fits is never, ever a good thing. Most people, demons, angels, whatever, sane enough (which, unfortunately, we, as a family, are nonfunctional as it is,) would turn in the other direction and leave. One time, in Nevada, Dean threw a lamp once, and it crashed to the ground. Another time he smashed all the wooden chairs of a crappy motel room in Arizona. And another time, when were in Vermont, he ripped the metal hinges off the bathroom door. And that wasn't fun. Things can get really ugly, really fast. Apparently, as Sam said once, 'anger, hate, malice, pain, guilt and the main one, temper tantrums, run in the family. Welcome to the Winchester family! Enjoy your stay with us!' Sarcastically. That's actually pretty freaking accurate. "Oh, ok." Sam says slowly. We drive to a random motel, order a room, and walk in. We all plop down on the couch. Even though its been eight years with them, I still get nightmares, about my bitch mother, faking who she really is, pretending she was a caring, loving, happy mother who made me ham and cheese sandwiches, with the crust cut off. She is a liar, a dumb bitch, who tried to kill me, multiple times. Like, for example, When I was six, she tried to kill me with a freaking poisonous flower. It was a very beautiful red one, with silver dots. She told me to smell it, then tried bite my neck. Another time, when I was ten, she put rat poisoning on the couch, and told me to sit, to lie down, face down. I almost did, too. But I was suspicious about the smell. It smelled funny, so I didn't sit. And when I was eleven, she made my whole lunch look beautiful, then she put sleeping medication in it, with me not knowing until I frowned, and looked at my cookie it was a strange color, a pale white, the way a warm chocolate chip cookie should not be. We all ordered pizza, at ten o'clock at night. We ate it without much discussion, because I was thinking about Mia. It's all my fault. That son of a bitch Crowley did this too her. If he ever has the nerve to show his fat face again, he'll be so goddamn sorry. It was pretty late, so we all fell asleep. Dean slept on the couch, and Sam slept in separate bed, while I slept in another. The night wasn't an easy one for me, nightmares plagued my dreams, about everything, Mia dying and whispering 'its all your fault, you let me die, you jerk.' and I saw my mother with Mia, keeping her captive, and leaving Mia broken and bloody, the way Crowley did. When Dean woke up to the sound of my hysterical screams for the second time he decided to climb into bed with me, his youngest brother. I wondered if Sam was really asleep or if he had just decided to leave this one up to Dean, or maybe he didn't want to get up. Dean climbed in slowly and carefully then ever so gently he grabbed my shoulder. I awoke instantly and when I saw it was Dean that had awoken me, sadness, tiredness, and soreness came over me, and I buried my face into Dean's shoulder crying silently. "It's ok." Dean says. "What were you dreaming about?" Dean asks softly. "I-I saw Mia d-dying, and my mom to-took Mia. She blamed m-me for her death." I say, on the verge of tears. "It's ok. It's not real. I'm sure she's grateful for saving her life." "Bu-but..." "No, Adam." Dean says sharply, startling me. "It's not real, Adam." I nod and stay quiet, but I can't shake the feeling in the back of my mind that something bad is going to happen soon. "Adam what do you want to eat?" Sam questioned looking at me, the next morning, curiously. I jumped slightly when I heard Sam's voice. I guess I had been in my own little world, not listening to my brother ask me a question. "What?" I asked, my voice shaky. "What do you want to eat for breakfast?" Sam repeated. "Oh, um...French toast." I say politely. "Alright. What about you Dean?" "Pie." Dean replies flatly. "Ok." Sam smirks. "I will get you your pie, O majestic one. It shall be delivered on a golden wax paper, with a side of alcohol, Your Majesty." "Don't forget it!" Dean says happily, slamming the door in Sam's face. My brothers are so weird. I wash my face with warm water, splashing it in my face, and I rub my eyes. I hear wings flapping, and Castiel appears behind me in the mirror. I jump, then turn around. "Jesus, Cas! I thought I told you to knock!" I mutter, annoyed. "I did, but no one answered." He replies, sighing. "You humans need better ears." "Hey!" I say. "What's going on?" Dean demands, rushing into the bathroom. "Hello Dean." Castiel looks around. "Where is Sam?" "He's getting us breakfast." Dean replied. "What's the matter?" I asked skeptically. "I was sent to tell you it is important to keep Mia safe and with you at all times. To go see her every day. Keep her with you, train her to be a hunter. It is very important." I wanted to throw up. Train Mia to be a hunter? What I told her yesterday, will she refuse? "Why?" Dean questioned. With or without Dean, I was already going to do what Castiel had told me to, but why was it so important to the Angels that Mia be kept safe? "You will find out in time," Castiel replied. Stupid angels and their 'you will find out in time,' or 'I cannot help you.' Bullshit. That's what it is. Bullshit. I glanced outside the window, towards the way to the hospital. Was there something wrong with Mia? When I looked away from the window, Cas was gone and I was all alone. "Stupid freakin cryptic angels," I muttered under my breath. Sam hadn't come back with breakfast yet, and I was still starving. (seriously how long did it take to get some french toast and pie?). We waited another twenty minutes, and I felt like my insides were going to chew themselves. I was relived to hear "Hey guys, I'm back." Sam's voice. "Sam." I said, without much emotion. "You alright?" "Cas dropped in. Unexpectedly." I add with a huff. Sam frowned. "What'd he say?" "He said that Mia is in danger, and we need to keep her safe and with her at all times. He also said that Mia has to become a hunter." "What?" Sam asks angrily. "No, I won't let her!" Sam yells. "Sam..." Dean begins, but Sam cuts him off. "No! I will not have let her have this life! I want her to be normal, grow up, have a family! She deserves to be normal! Not thrown into a hunters life!" "Sam, think about it. She deserves to know, after everything's that happened to her. Monsters, demons, angels, everything!" Oh crap. "But...Dean." "No, Sam, she deserves to know everything! Ok? We'll go see her. If she doesn't accept, She doesn't accept." Dean says. "Fine. Here, eat this then we can leave," Sam says, chucking me my requested breakfast, and I open the wax paper. "then we can leave to go see her." I ate quickly, because I was really worried about Mia. I wanted to go see her immediately. "Adam, slow down." Sam said finally, after I was almost done with my second plate of french toast. "No," I say stubbornly. "I need to see Mia, and I'm freaking hungry." I mumble, scowling. After I was done, Dean, Sam and I left, and drove quickly to the hospital. We run up the stairs and burst into her room. "Where is he?" Dean yells, looking around, Mia jumps, and her monitors start beeping. "Where's who?" Mia asks, completely confused. We all frown, then huff. "We thought you were in trouble." "Trouble?" She asks. *Mia's POV* "What...What's going on?" I ask. "We thought Crowley came here." Dean replies. "No," I say slowly, shaking my head. "Crowley isn't here. What's going on?" I ask again. My friends all look at each other. Some sort of agreement passes though them, and they turn back to me. "We'll talk about it later." Dean confirms strongly. "Alright." I say, still confused. "Um, Mia, can we ask you something?" Sam begins awkwardly. "Sure." I nod. I have a feeling that I know what they're gonna ask me. "Ok...Um, would you like to be a hunter?" Wow. Straight to the point. I don't hesitate. "I'm in." Sam and Dean frown, trying to hear me correctly. "You're in?" They ask, completely shocked. "Yeah. I'm in. I want to get revenge, travel America with you guys. It will be better than staying home. Besides, I already know some stuff about Monsters. And, you guys could use a girl hunter. Keep you all in check. Thought it might be nice, having an extra person. Don't you think? You guys get more backup, more work done. More options to fight. Usefulness. Meaningful. Another player on a field. I got nothing else to do. Hey, I got a boring life." I reply shrugging. Sam and Dean frown. A small smile forms on Adam's lips. "Really?" "Yeah. I did some research last night, so don't worry about it." I can lie really well. I don't tell them what Adam told me last night, because Sam and Dean would probably flip out. "You know it's extremely dangerous, hunting. It can kill you. Monsters, demons, ghosts, angels, every movie monster that people have had nightmares about, that's all real. This line of work isn't easy, Mia. It requires training." Sam says. I wave my hand dismissively. "Don't care. Already got it covered. I'm in." "O-Ok. Then, I guess that's settled." Sam says, still shocked at my answer. "When can I get out of this hospital?" I mutter. "In an hour," a nurse says. "Alright." I say. The nurse leaves. "Welcome to the group, Mia." Adam says warmly. "Thank you, Adam. For everything." I get up from the bed and pull him into a hug. He wraps his arms around me, and I smile for the first time in a long time. *1 hour later* I'm finally free from that hospital. "Ok, so...what are we going to do?" I ask finally, once we're in the car. "I don't know...maybe go to Bobby's? We could introduce Mia to him." Sam shrugs. "Alright. That sounds good. Is that ok Mia? Bobby won't hurt us. We're his friends." I nod. "Ok." It takes a two hours, but we finally get there. I must have fallen asleep. Adam gently shakes me awake. I blink, waking up groggily. "We're here, Mia." He says softly, in a quiet, sing song voice. I must have fallen asleep on Adam's lap, because there's a pillow on his lap, with me on it. I blush. Sam and Dean both laugh, and I blush even harder. Adam blushes, and smiles down at me. I look up at him and stick my tongue out. "I'm sorry." He mutters. "No, it's ok." I smile, and he nods, but his cheeks are still rosy. I pat his head and he catches my hand as I pull away. He puts it on his cheek and I giggle. "Come on, lets go," Sam says, trying really hard not to laugh. Dean laughs as we exit the car. Dean doesn't knock, he just enters the house. "Bobby?" Dean calls. We round the conner and there's some guy in a chair, with a blue and white baseball cap on, with brown hair and brown eyes, with a beard. "Bobby!" Dean says. "Hi boys, I haven't seen you in what..." "Just yesterday, Bobby." Sam smiles. "How ya two been?" "Good, Bobby." They say at the same time. He nods warmly, then he turns and sees Adam. "Adam, My boy! How have you been?" Adam smiles. "I've been good, just hunting with Sam and Dean, not much." Adam grins. Bobby notices me. "And who's this?" He asks, cocking his head to the side. "I'm Mia." "Is she a monster? An angel? A demon?" Bobby asks curiously. "No." I say, shaking my head slowly. "She's human, trust me." Dean replies. "Ok." Bobby nods. "I trust you, Mia." I smile again. "Thank you." "Is she a hunter?" "Yeah, she just joined us three hours ago. We drove here from the hospital." "Hospital?" Bobby asks suspiciously, taking a drink of beer. I wince, then back up. My eyes go wide. I see images of my father, then the rounds of abuse. "N-no. Ba-bad!" I whisper, shaking. The boys give me suspicious looks, then look at the bottle in Bobby's hand. "What?" Dean asks, throughly confused. "N-no. Get it away from me!" "What?" The boys are beginning to panic. "Be-beer! Ge-Get it away fro-from m-me! Plea-Please Bo-Bobby! PLEASE!" I shout. "Bobby, Please put it away, she's afraid of it." Adam says calmly. Bobby puts it away in the fridge. My breathing slows down. "Thank y-you Bobby." He nods, but looks suspicious. "What-What happened..?" Dean asks, frowning. "Sorry...I-I had a traumatizing experience with alcohol...It involved a lot of alcohol and constant abuse for years." I shudder, hugging my body close to my chest, and rock back and forth. "Ad-Adam...Ca-can you come here?" I whisper to him. "Yes, Mia?" I wrap my arms around him, and bury my face in his neck. He wraps his arms around my neck. After a while, we pull away. I look up and see Sam and Dean smirking. I roll my eyes. "So, uh, what happen...that made you...uh..." Bobby begins awkwardly. I walk over to a chair and sit down. "Twelve years ago my mom got killed in a tragic house fire. My mom was pregnant with twins. She was pinned on up on the ceiling in my bedroom, her abdomen was sliced open, and her body burned, and she...She died." I shiver. Sam, Dean, and Adam are all listening intently. "Sam...Adam...Will you two meet me outside...? Now..?" Dean asks, gritting his teeth together so hard that I thought they would break. They both nod, and follow him outside. *Dean's POV* "Sam, her moms death is like our mom's death. I can't believe it. I'm going to kill Azazel. Again. That bitch." I mumble. "Do you think we should tell her that, about what happened...?" Sam asks. Typical Sammy. Always trying to do what's best. "Yeah," Adam says, agreeing. "I'm going to freaking murder Azazel, then shoot him with the Colt." Sam mutters. We all get angrier and angrier by the second, unable to control our emotions. *Mia's POV* "I'm sorry, to hear about your mother." Bobby says sadly. "Yeah," I say, trying to hold back tears. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." "No, it's fine." I sniff, sighing. "So, who are you?" "I'm a mechanic by trade. I became a hunter after I had to kill my wife, Karen Singer, when she was possessed by a demon. My friend, Rufus Turner, is the hunter who exorcised the demon and helped cover up Karen's death." He says sadly, looking at the floor. "Oh. I'm so sorry." "No. It's fine...Don't worry about it." He mumbles, his eyes sad and grieving. The boys walk in, and they sit on a couple of chairs. I blink. "Um, can I go home, get some extra clothes and stuff? It's probably a good idea, considering the fact that I'm going to be with you for a long time." "Sure, Mia. We'll go with you." Adam says immediately. "It's essential, hunters protect each other." Sam explains. "Ok." I nod. It takes a while, but we finally reach my house. I run upstairs, get a suitcase, and pack what few belongings i have. I grab my iPhone, clothes, money, and my razors. I quickly make three cuts, wipe off the blood, change because my clothes were dirty, one long look at my bedroom, then hurry out the door. "You ready?" Sam asks, once I get in the car. "Yup." "Oh, by the way, here is every single fake I.D, with fake names and everything, just like ours. Feds, wildlife services, health department, everything that we have on our I.D's, you have. You also get a fake credit card." Dean says, handing me all the I.D's and credit cards. "Ok." I say. Training was hard, but not impossible. I had weeks of training to get me in shape, even though I was fit. I had 3 kilometer runs with Dean, shooting practice with Bobby, (I didn't really like that one, I almost shot myself in the foot twice, but I eventually got it down. I could shoot 57 feet away from the board, and hit a bullseye perfectly every time,) monster, angel, and demon mythology with Sam, (I already knew it all, everything, thanks to Adam,) and my favorite part, working with Adam on finding cases. Just being near him makes me feel safe. After all, he did save me. I really like how he's this free sprit. Team freewill. Sam is taking a small break from being the case finder. I told him that he should take a break from finding cases and help Dean with anything he might need, just for a little while, and that I'll report anything strange when I look some potential cases up, like weird deaths, people gone missing from a friendly neighborhood, or anything else in between. Although training was making me both physically and mentally exhausted, for the first time I felt like I belong somewhere. After a while, I found a case. "Hey, guys, look at this." My friends pile around me. "Man is killed inside a locked house." I read, skimming though the pages. "Patrick Smith, age 32, was killed two days ago in Asheville, North Carolina, after being extremely paranoid for over three and a half months. Friends and family say that he would lock his doors and close his curtains because 'the monsters would get me.' as quoted to a friend. Patrick Smith's wife, Deanna, just wants justice for who did this. She is heartbroken. 'if anyone has any information, please...please tell me.'" The boys frown, racking their brains for any possible answer. "Well, what do you think?" I ask finally. "I think we should check it out." Sam says. "Yeah. Good job, Mia." Adam says, smiling. "Thank you." "It only takes an hour to get there." I say, sighing, closing the laptop. "Alright, let's go." Adam says. "You'll call me, boys and Mia, if anything you don't understand comes up?" "Always, Bobby." Dean nods. "Come on, lets go." We leave and pile into the Impala. "Hey, Mia, um, are you sure you want to go in? You could wait here..." Adam trails off. "No. I'm going." I say confidently. "Ok." Dean says. "Lets go." We exit out of the car and walk up to the porch. Dean knocks on the door, and a pesky dark haired women opens the door. "Hello?" The women asks. "how can I help you?" "Are you Deanna Smith?" "Yes," the women stands up straighter. "How may I help you?" We take out our badges. "FBI, ma'am. This is Agent Jackson." Dean points to Sam. Sam holds up his card to the lady. "This is Agent Wilson." He says, motioning to Adam. Adam holds up his card to show her. "This is Agent Rose." He motions to me, and I hold up my card. Her eyes flick suspiciously at me. I manage to keep a straight face, and my throat tightens in panic. "And I am Agent Perry." "Oh, please, come in." We put away our badges in our pockets. "You have a lovely home, Mrs. Smith." I say politely. "Thank you." She says. "Um, do you know who would do this type of thing, who would do something like that? Did Patrick have any enemies? Anyone who would want to hurt him in anyway?" Adam asks. "No. He didn't have any enemies, that I knew of." "Did your house feel any different, like cold spots, sulfuric smells, or lights flickering on and off?" Sam asks, and I immediately know what he was talking about. Sign of ghosts, demons, and monsters. Just your average day in the life of hunters. "Um, There was a lot of sulfuric smells around the kitchen, then the lights flickered a few times, that's where I found him, in the kitchen, where he..." She looks up, tears pricking her eyes. "Why would someone do that to him?" "It's ok, Mrs. Smith. We're going to get to the bottom of this. Promise." Sam says gently. "Okay." She sniffs. "Where...was his body transported too?" She tells us the location, we thank her, and we leave. "Monsters and Demons working together? I've never seen that in my life." Dean says. "He must have really pissed a lot of spirits off." Adam exclaims. "You did good, Mia. Managed to keep a straight face. Eh?" Dean chuckles. I nod, then smirk. "Now, lets get a motel room, go check out Patrick's body, in case of anything that point to demons, monsters or ghosts. then get some food. I'm starving. We should look for clues on the EMF tonight." Dean says, scratching his head. "Alright. That sounds good." Adam confirms. We drive to a motel room, order a room, then unpack all our stuff. There's only two beds, and that's a problem. "We have bedrolls in the car, um…Mia gets a bed, um, who wants the other bed?" Sam asks. "I'll get the other bed." Adam announces after a minute of seemingly awkward silence. "Alright." "I'm going to take a shower." I announce. "Ok." Sam says. "Can I come in?" Dean asks. "Dean!" We all exclaim. I blush. Adam rolls his eyes. Sam smacks the back of his head. "Kidding, kidding." He mumbles, rubbing the back of his head. I stick my tongue out at him, and he rolls his eyes and sticks his tongue out, too. I saunter to the bathroom. I shut the door, then lock it. I quickly make four cuts, once again. I step in the shower, and close the curtain. I turn the water on to warm, then strip off my clothes. I hum a song, a song that my mom would always sing to me when I was little. I remember every word of a verse that I really love. It's called Shattered by Trading Yesterday. "And I've lost who I am. And I can't understand. Why my heart is so broken...rejecting your love. Love without, love gone wrong. Lifeless words carry on, all I know, all I know is that the ends beginning..." All conversation outside goes quiet. The boys are listening intently at my song. "Who I am, from the start, take me home, to my heart. Let me go and I will run. I will not be silenced. All this time, Spent in vain, Wasted years, Wasted gain. All is lost, hope remains, and this wars not over. There's a light, there's a sun, taking all the shattered ones, to the place we belong, and his love will conquer. And I've lost who I am. And I can't understand. Why my heart is so broken...rejecting your love. Love without, love gone wrong. Lifeless words carry on, all I know, all I know is that the ends beginning, who I am, from the start. Take me home. To my heart, let me go and I will run, I will not be silenced. All this time, Spent in vain, Wasted years, Wasted gain. All is lost, hope remains, and this wars not over. There's a light, there's a sun, taking all the shattered ones, to the place we belong, and his love will conquer. His love will conquer all. Yeah, his love will conquer all. Yesterday I died, tomorrow's bleeding. Fall into your sunlight..." I finish the song, and the whole motel room goes silent. I feel happy, and sigh dreamily. *Adams POV* "So what do you think we should do about Mia? Should we leave her in the car? This can get pretty bad and creepy fast." "Adam, she'll be fine." "But what if she sees too much? Too much of everything…possessions, death, violence…" I trail off. There's a long list. "Adam, don't worry. She's a tough girl." Sam says, trying to calm me down. "But Sam…what if she…doesn't want to be a hunter anymore?" "Adam, she'll be fine, ok? We will all protect her." Dean says. Sam nods in improvement. "But...Guys-" I hear Mia sing, and I fall silent. "What's wrong Adam?" "Shhh..." I mumble, placing my finger to Deans lips. "Adam?" "Shut up, you whiny sons of bitches, I'm trying to listen to her sing, god damnit." I hiss. "Listen?" Dean and Sam ask. "Shut up." I hiss again. Castiel appears randomly next to us, even though we didn't call him. "Just listen." Cas commands in a gruff voice. Dean and Sam go silent. They both hear Mia sing, and their faces goes peaceful. "Her voice is beautiful..." I mumble. "Aww that's so cute! I am going to tell her that you said that!" Dean exclaims, his voice two octaves higher than usual. "Shut up." I mutter, smacking Dean's shoulder. "Sammy, Adam hit me!" "Both of you. Be quiet." Cas hisses. "Sorry, sorry." Dean mutters. We continue to listen to Mia sing. I haven't felt this happy, since, ever. I can tell my brothers feel this way too. I feel at peace, at ease. Now that makes me truly happy. i am glad that Mia is a part of our dysfunctional, slightly broken, family. "Mia's POV* I walk out, fully clothed, and the boys have dreamy expressions, their eyes glazed, their faces peaceful. They look like they couldn't be happier. Castiel is there, too. "Um...what happened?" "Your singing put them in a happy trance. They'll wake up momentarily. They said your singing was beautiful...Me and Jimmy think so, too. Jimmy is silent for the time being...in the same happy trance as the boys." "Um, I'm sorry." I blush. "No, it is fine. Nothing has made Jimmy happier, ever, since he agreed to be my vessel. He thanks you, for letting him forget his stress." "Oh, that's nice. Your welcome, Jimmy!" I call, giggling. Castiel laughs, something very un-Cas like, and that seems to break the boys out of their trance. I bet that was Jimmy laughing, and for a few seconds, Castiel seems peaceful. With all his angelic work that he does in Heaven, it seems very stressful. "Um, what…" the boys ask, still dazed. "You were lost in Mia's singing." "Oh." Sam says, embarrassed. Dean blinks, scratching his head. Adam blushes sheepishly, then grins, then begins laughing. A thought hits me, hard. These guys are my family now. I will protect them, with a dying breath. I won't go down without a fight. We all get dressed into formal clothes, Sam in a dark blue suit with a white and light blue striped tie, Dean and Adam in a black suit with a red tie. I get changed quickly, settling into a white shirt and a black skirt and with pearl earrings. I comb my hair until there are no knots, then tie my hair back into a loose pony tale. I apply some mascara and a small amount of blush. Five minutes later, Me, Dean, Adam and Sam drive to Mission Hospital, to inspect what type of damage Patrick Smith may have. "Hello." A dark haired nurse says cheerfully. "Hello, we would like to see Patrick Smiths body, please." "Why? Who are you?" A doctor asks suspiciously. "FBI, sir." Sam says. We hold up our cards to the doctor. "Agent Maclean." Dean says. "Agent Oryan." Sam says. "Agent Brokowski." Adam says. "Agent Connors." I say. "We would like to see Patrick Smith's body." The doctor walks forward, then motions for us to follow him. The doctor opens up a stainless steel slide-out box, where Patrick's body is laying. There is blood everywhere. Thick claw marks scratched all around his upper chest and neck. Bruises cover his arms and legs. His toenails are dirty and yellow, like he couldn't care less about hygiene. His fingernails and toenails are broken, chipped and uneven, like he had cut them with a sharp butchers knife. "Patrick Smith, age 32. Found two days ago at 6:14." The doctor confirms. "Can you tell us what type of damages he might have?" Adam asks. "Major spinal injury, a few broken bones, these large claw marks, bruises on his arms and feet, left arm is broken, and his scalp is still very bloody." Wow. That's a lot of damage. But I guess its normal for Sam, Adam and Dean. We talk with the doctor for a few minutes. We eventually leave, driving back to the motel. "I'm going into the bathroom." I announce. I walk to the bathroom, grab my razor out of my bag, and make a few cuts on my thighs, arms, and stomach. "Worthless," I whisper. "Fat, ugly, dumb, messed up, gay, broken, a disgrace..." My voice trails off. I feel like crying, but I held it in. I sniffed. I heard a knock on the door. "Mia? Are you alright?" Adam's voice. "Y-yeah." I say, my voice shaky. "Are you sure?" He asks. "Yeah. I'm fine." I say again. "Ok." I hear him walk away from the door. I breathe out. That was close. I throw on a long sleeve shirt, a light sweatshirt, and shorts. I make sure my scars aren't showing. I throw on a pair of tan Uggs. I walk out, and Sam and Dean are researching the house. There's nothing strange about the neighborhood. But there is something about the history of the house. A man named Robert Kanian killed his wife because she was cheating on him. He then killed himself. And that's about it. It's not much. "Come on, lets go." I say. It only takes a few minutes to get there. I can't believe how broken, how worthless I am. "Ok, we're here. Mrs smith is staying at a motel a few blocks down. In case something happens here." Adam says, tapping his wrist watch. "She said she will give us all the time we need." "Alright, lets suit up." Dean says. We get out of the Impala, and walk to the back of the car. He opens the trunk. And opens a secret compartment. There's fake ids, guns, knifes, bullets, and salt rounds. We arm ourselves with everything we need. I take a few demon killing knives, Sam takes guns and rounds of salt bullets, Adam takes a rifle and iron knives, and Dean takes a pistol, extra salt rounds, and a few demon knives. "Alright, lets go." Sam says. "Stay close." The door is unlocked, and we quietly enter. Sam takes out the EMF and walks to the kitchen. Immediately, it makes noises and flashes red. Everywhere we step, it gets louder and louder. "Wow. I've never seen it go this loud before. Patrick must have seriously pissed off some spirits." Adam comments, looking at the EMF meter in shock. "Ok. I think we should split up," Dean says. "Me and Sam will take the downstairs. Adam, you and Mia can take upstairs." "Ok." We nod. The house is fairly big, with an attic, a large living room, a few bedrooms, a huge yard, and a large kitchen. "Wow, this is a big house," I comment while walking upstairs. "Yeah. It is." Adam says. "Um, thank you for saving me from Crowley, Adam." I smile. "Your welcome, Mia. And um…" He becomes quiet, and his cheeks turn red. "Haha." I say, sticking my tongue out. I feel comfortable around him. He pokes my nose, and I slap his hand away. He starts to tickle me, and I laugh. "St-stop!" I laugh. "Stop i-it Adam!" I giggle. "No." He smirks. "Hahahahahahaha! St-stop!" I laugh. "I'm gonna ki-kill you Adam!" I laugh again. "Uh-oh." He smirks. "Mia's gonna tickle me to death!" He smirks again. "Come on, stop it Adam!" I yelp. "Fine. Mood killer." He mutters, taking his hands off me. "Ok," I say, trying not to burst out laughing again. "Time to get to work." I cough, still trying not to laugh. "Okay. I'll go in one room, you'll go in another?" "Okay. Sounds good to me." I go in Mrs. Smith's bedroom, and Adam goes in a spare bedroom to look for spirits. My EMF meter starts blaring like crazy. I walk into the closet and it dims a lot. I hear a click, like someone locks a door. Then, all the sudden, it starts beeping again like crazy. It sounds like someone, human or not, is behind me. A hand covers my mouth, and I start screaming. Two more grin evilly. Their eyes are completely black. "Well Mia, How nice to see you. Your coming with me. Time to go to hell, isn't it? It'll be lovely downstairs. Breaking you until there is nothing left. Its cozy, Hell. You'll see. Your scumbag friends will die, right next to you." A mans voice hisses amused in my ear. "Time to go, little missy. Your little boyfriend's and those brother's are gonna die…" Another hisses. "We'll kill you nice and slow… then bring you down six feet under with us... Your boyfriend and those brothers will see you die…and their murders will be on your hands…" Demons! I want to deny that I am not broken, that I am not worthless, but then a little part of me says I have been broken. I have been hurt. I have been scared. I have been confused and in horrible pain. I have been mentally and physically scarred. I try to stay strong, but I only break down again. I don't care if I look weak. I don't care if you think I'm not worth it. I don't care if people think I have nothing wrong, like Sam, Adam, Dean or Bobby, but I am hurt. I am broken. I will be who I am trying to be. I will cover my old scars with new scars. Good scars. Memories that you can't take away. Good memories. I start fighting, grabbing a demon knife out of my pocket, whirl around, and stab upwards. The demon falls to the ground with a thunk, clutching his chin, but then gets back up. The demon attacks me, making me slam into the wall. He snarls at me, and he whips me around, making me slam into the closet. He punches me, making me fling across the room. I see black stars swirl around me, and I groan. The small part of my brain that isn't blocked by searing pain, I tell myself to pick up a demon killing knife. I hazily grab another demon knife out of my pocket and stab it though it's chest. He falls to the ground again, and now he doesn't move. I react on instinct, and kick the other one in the chest, making him stumble back. I dodge a punch thrown to me by the other demon, and stab his leg. He falls down, and I stab his neck. The other one looks at me, snarling. He pushes me into the wall again, and I crumple to the ground. My knife clatters to the carpeted ground. Coughing, with blood running thinly down my face, I run over to him and kick his knee. He snarls at me, and he punches me. I grab my knife from the floor and stab his head. He falls to the ground, and I step back. I run my hand though my long blonde hair. I breathe heavily. I scurry back to a corner of the room, breathe heavily, tuck my arms under my legs and put my chin up to my knees, and I start rocking back and forth. I almost died. I almost died. That runs in my head, over and over again. I start sobbing loudly. "Mia!?" Sam, Dean and Adam call, behind the door. I don't answer, I'm too paralyzed by fear and confusion. Why did they come after me? If there had been anymore than three… I don't even want to think about it. "Mia!? Are you in there?!" I fall down, my shock coming in full effect. I start screaming, horribly, and the tears stream down my face. The blood drips down my face, falling with a weak plop every time to hits the floor. I…I could have died. I could have died. My friends yell from behind the door, and I hear the fear in their voice. I hear silence, then I hear a loud crash, and the boys rush in. The white painted door is laying on the carpeted floor, off its hinges, a rather large hole place though it, the size of a bowling ball. "Mia?" The boys look around and see me huddled in the corner, the blood running down my face. "Mia! What happened?" Adam asks, cradling me in his arms. "De-Demons…" "Where?" I point to the three men on the floor. "You got attacked?" Dean asks, outraged, looking at the three demons. "I did get attacked, Dean." I say, my voice shaky. More blood runs down my face, and i cough weakly. "They…tried to kill me and bring me to hell." I see fear and worry and every other concerned emotion flash across the boy's eyes. "Are you ok? Do you need anything? Aspirin? Tylenol?" Adam asks worriedly. "No, I think I'm fine…" I mumble. I have been broken. I am scarred...I wish I could kill myself, then my pain would end…everything. The nightmares, the failures in my life, the worry, the self inflicted pain I give myself, but I let myself suffer. I always do. "Adam, you stay with Mia. We're gonna hunt these god damn assholes down and kill them, one by one. Promise." Dean says strongly. "Ok. I will." Adam replies, holding me close. I blush a deep shade of red. Sam and Dean give Adam a look, and Adam nods. We go in a different room and dispose of the bodies. We write a note for the door. "Adam...Can I ask you something?" I ask, once they leave. "Yes?" He doesn't take his eyes off me. "The demons said that they would take me and drag me to hell...they said that you, Dean and Sam would die by me…in front of me...with your murders will be on my hands…do you-Do you know what they meant by that?" I ask, my voice shaking. Something flashes across his eyes. "I don't know." He says carefully. "Oh...Ok..." I whisper. "Adam? I…" I mutter. "Stars…" I mutter. "There's so many stars...Adam...Golden stars…White stars…Colorful stars…And they are so beautiful... I see them…they're so beautiful…you should see them, Adam…" I whisper. "Mia?" Adam asks, panic lacing his voice, but his voice sounds distant, like he was in another room. "So...Beautiful…" I smile. "Pretty…" I breathe. "Mia! Mia! Stay awake! Mia! Please, stay awake!" Black spots dance across my eyes, and I see tears run down Adam's face. "Stars…Adam…Stars..." I close my eyes, sighing in relief. And I hear Adam scream. *Dean's POV* "What do you think is going on up there?" I ask Sam, while searching for the monsters. Demons, Mia killed, thankfully. then there's monsters. Now all we need is monsters and this party can get started. Patrick must have pissed some seriously revengeful sprits off. What could one man do to piss that many off? One, maybe, two at the most, of the same species we could handle, but two angry things, of the different species that want our asses? And that's just the tip of the iceberg. There's probably thousands of more monsters that Dad didn't even don't even know about that want our freaking heads for trophies for show and tell and soccer balls for monster and demon sunday school. Mia was right. We do need an extra person. How did she kill three demons that fast? Even I couldn't do that fast enough. "They're probably just talking. I can't believe how fast she killed those demons." I chuckle. "That's exactly what I was thinking." Sam smirks, then frowns. "But how do you think…" "I don't know, Sammy." I say. Sam shrugs. "Maybe it's a reaction. I mean, you can't let a friggin demon find an open spot when your fighting them. If you do that, then boom, your a demon. One small mistake can cost your like. Maybe she was reacting on instinct." Sam sighs. "Mia better not be an angel, or a demon. 'cause let me tell you," I chuckle. "Those guys are complete dicks!" I exclaim, chuckling softly. "Dean, she is not an angel. Mia is a flesh-and-blood human. She is a hunter, not anything supernatural!" Sam says, getting defensive. I blink in shock. He's getting so defensive over her. Well, I guess she is innocent. Pure. Sweet. Caring. Friendly. I really like that about her. She's nice. There's a lot of nice words to describe her. We must be really blessed and lucky to have a friend like her. And trust me, for the Winchester family, thats not something handed to you on a silver platter with a side of golden french fries. My attention snaps to Sam, because I see the angry glint in his eyes. "Or for that matter, a demon!" Sam yells. I immediately feel bad for what I said. But Sam isn't done yet. "Mia didn't ask for Azazel to kill her mother. There were no angels watching over her! She was 4 when her mother died. She lost her mother, Dean. Maybe we can relate to what that feels like! Now, Dad didn't abuse us, he trained us to be hunters! Mia got constant abuse for years and years because her father was a drunken BASTARD and he needed to take his pain out on Mia! SHE IS NOT AN ANGEL, OR A DEMON!" Sam screams. Wow. He is really, really defensive. "Alright, alright calm down Sammy." I say, muttering an apology. Sam'a jaw clenches stubbornly. We take two more steps, and all the sudden, the EMF meter blares again. Someone grabs the back of our shirts and fling us into them. "Hello, Sammy, Dean." The monsters hiss in our ears. I grunt, trying to break free from their grasps. I hear teeth slide out, and I recognize vampires. Just great. Now this party can get started. "This will be fun." The vampires smirk, hissing in our ears. I can tell that there are four vampires hissing in our ears. Why would there be four when...? Oh crap. Mia and Adam! Sam squirms, and tries to break free. He must be thinking the same thing as I am. And Mia's hurt. We can't left her get hurt anymore. Or…I don't want to think about it. "Now now, we don't want our prey to escape…do we? You brother and his little girlfriend are going to die." They mutter. "Alright, enough talk, you evil son of a bitch," I ram my elbow into his stomach, and he hisses in pain. Sam steps on the vampires foot, ramming his elbow into his face. We both turn around, kicking them in the face and making them stumble to the ground. We get out our silver knives, and quickly behead them. Their bodies crash to the ground, their heads rolling, still bloody. The other two die just as fast. They didn't have any time to react. We killed them just as fast. "Urgh, alright...lets dispose of these things…" I sigh, looking at them. We quickly burn the bodies. "Ok…do you think thats all of them?" Sam asks, once we were done. "Yeah. I do. Lets look-" I begin. I'm cut off by a loud scream from upstairs. "Adam?! Mia!?" We rush upstairs. We run into the bedroom and I see Adam and Mia still huddled into the corner. "Mia? Mia! Come on! Wake up! Mia! Please wake up! We're gonna go home, Mia! I promise! I promise!" That's when I notice her eyes are closed. Her body is still. "Mia! Come on!" He sobs, burying his face in her neck. "Adam, what happened?" Sam asks, rushing over to him. "Mia..." He mutters, sniffling, holding her unmoving body closer to him. "Adam, come on…" Sam says gently. He turns to us, and I notice the tears streaming down his face. I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from crying. Sam swallows, and the tears form in his eyes. "No! I am not leaving her! She's probably dead, all because of me! It's not alright! SHE'S PROBABLY DEAD! I FAILED! I PROMISED TO PROTECT HER! I PROMISED!" *Mia's POV* Darkness is all I see. That's all I see. Darkness. I don't feel anything. No pain, no hate, no revenge. I feel nothing. I don't feel any emotion. I'm just blank. Then comes the light. The blinding light in the distance makes me shield my eyes. I see the face of my mom. Her golden hair radiates a warm aura from the sunshine and her pale blue eyes crystalize in the sun. Her smile is beautiful and pure, as it always has been. I reach out to her, and a warm hand touches my cold cheek. "Mom?" I chock out. "Hello dear...Your so beautiful…you know that?" She tucks a piece of hair behind my ear. "I…" My voice is hoarse. "It's ok, Mia. I don't blame you." Then, she adds, "Take a look around. This place is beautiful, isn't it?" That's when I notice my surroundings. Darkness is all I see. That's all I see. Darkness. I don't feel anything. No pain, no hate, no revenge. I feel nothing. I don't feel any emotion. I'm just blank. Then comes the light. The blinding light in the distance makes me shield my eyes. I see the face of my mom. Her golden hair radiates a warm aura from the sunshine and her pale blue eyes crystalize in the sun. Her smile is beautiful and pure, as it always has been. I reach out to her, and a warm hand touches my cold cheek. "Mom?" I chock out. "Hello dear...Your so beautiful…you know that?" She tucks a piece of hair behind my ear. "I…" My voice is hoarse. "It's ok, Mia. I don't blame you." Then, she adds, "Take a look around. This place is beautiful, isn't it?Its nice here." That's when I notice my surroundings. A beautiful garden, with every type of flower imaginable. The is sky cloudless, the sun warm, a forest in the distance, birds chirping in greeting to the sun. A bright rainbow, a stream of clean water runs off to my left. Grass tickles my feet, and there is a glistening ocean in the distance, the sand sparkles. I'm in a short white dress. I'm surrounded by giggling children, who smile and grin. One boy, one girl. They both have blonde hair and blue eyes. I see Sam and Dean sitting on a comfortable blanket, and Adam has his arm around my waist. Sam is in grey sweatpants and a flannel, looking pleased. He has a pretty blonde girl laying next to her. She smiles and laughs and seems to make Sam happy. Dean is in white sweatpants and a black t-shirt. He looks happy for the first time ever, with the little boy on his lap. The children play, sitting on Dean's and Sam's lap. Sam smiles and plays with the little girl, who curiously touches his lip. Sam smiles and touches her cheek gingerly, like he was afraid that he'd break it. Dean pokes the boys stomach, and he squeaks in delight, then climbs all over Dean, who falls back in mock surprise. The boy squeals in delight, and then the babies gurgle and laugh. Adam smiles and holds me closer. The boy and girl look like their twins. Adam kisses my lips, and I kiss him back. We stay like that for a few minutes. He wraps his arms around my small body. "Mom?" I ask. "Why is this happening?" "It is happening because its your heaven. It's your desires. Grow up, have children, be married to Adam, while surrounded by your friends." I swallow. Have children? Be married to Adam? In the pit of my stomach, I feel happy. Safe. Adam wraps his arms around me, and I smile. My friends grin and laugh again. The children giggle. I place the girl on my lap, her pale blue eyes blinking curiously at me. Her light blonde hair radiant in the sunlight. Adam gently takes the boy and places him on his lap, his dark blue eyes shining, his dirty blonde hair glistening a warm color. I feel loved. Here, I feel like I am fixable, that I am strong. Unbroken. Loved. "You see Mia? You are wanted. You just have to recognize the people that do care about you." I nod, and swallow thickly. "I love you Mia." She touches my cheek. Tears prick my eyes. "I love you too Mom." I say, my voice breaking. "You are needed in the Winchester's lives, Mia. You are important." Then, in a softer tone she says "Its time to go now. my dear. Remember, I love you." "I love you too, Mom." Her warm hand touches my forehead, and I close my eyes, feeling peace. *Adam's POV* Mia hasn't woken up in three hours. I just hold her in my arms, sit on the motel bed, and don't let anyone touch her, not even Cas. Guilt weighs on my chest like a boulder that won't let me move, like I'm being crushed by it. "Adam…" Sam swallows thickly. "I think we should bury Mia…" Dean trails off awkwardly. My eyes grow wide, hugging her body closer to me. She doesn't respond, her eyes are still closed. "No! You will not touch her! Or I will kill you both!" I shout, not taking my eyes off her. Mia will wake up. She has to. Dean and Sam both back away from me. "I feel so god damn guilty…" I mumble. Castiel looks at Mia, his eyes sad. "Her pretty face is all bruised..." He announces sadly, walking over to her and touching her arm. Poor Castiel is broken. Scarred. He is a broken angel. He died for friendship. He 'died' to save Sam from his illusions of Lucifer. Well, the old Cas did save Sam. Now, the new Cas, he's just broken. An angel without his wings, really. "Cas, is she dead?" I chock out finally. Sam makes a painful strangled noise in the back of this throat. Dean looks like he wants to start crying. "No." He replies. "She is alive." We all breathe a huge sigh of relief. Mia groans softly suddenly. "Mom…" she mutters, groaning and moaning in her sleep. "Adam…" She murmurs restlessly. We all frown, except for Cas, who hums a tune, his eyes wandering aimlessly around the room, smiling a bit. "Sammy, Dean. Both…happy…Picnic blanket…Paradise…My Children…Beautiful…Blonde hair, blue eyes. Adam…" She whispers my name. Peace spreads across her face. Her eyes snap open, and she sits up quickly. "Mia? Mia!" I say, wrapping my arms around her small body. She backs up, her eyes darting back and forth frantically. A small memory hits me. It reminded me when Castiel had to resurrect me because I died, (I was killed by a demon, Dean killed it in anger, while Sam held me in his arms, crying.) I sat up exactly like Mia did. "Mia? Are you alright?" Sam asks worriedly. "No babies? No paradise?" She mutters, touching my face as if she thought I was made out of mist. She lets her hand stay there, and I allow it to. She looks at Sam and Dean straight in the eyes. "Sammy and Dean both happy...Babies are beautiful. So, So beautiful." She whispers, wrapping her arms around me tightly. I have no idea what she's talking about, but I nod. She smiles. "Mia..? Were you in heaven?" Dean asks. She nods, sinking back into the pillows. "What did you see?" Sam asks curiously. *Mia's POV* I explain to them what I saw. After I was done, they all stand there, dumbfounded. "You really…" Sam asks, sitting down on the bed next to me. "Sam, there was a pretty girl laying next to you in the sunshine. You had her arm wrapped around her. I have never seen her in my life but…she was very pretty." I say politely. Sam bites his lip and I see a tear slip down his face. "Um, I'm sorry…I didn't mean..." "No, no. It's ok." he says, sniffling. I groan again. My head starts to spin. I must have really hit those walls hard. "Adam…" I mutter. He turns back to me. "Head hurts." Adam lets my lie down on his shoulder while I try to make my head stop spinning. After a while, my head stops spinning. I look at the motel clock. It says 4:13a.m. "Wow," I say yawning, "Is it this early in the morning?" I mumble. Sinking into the covers of the bed. "Yes Mia. Yes it is." Dean confirms, nodding his head. A smirk forms on his lips. "Pretty girl is tired?" Cas asks. "Yes, pretty girl is tired." I say. Cas nods approvingly, like I said the right thing. "Um, I am going to change." I announce awkwardly. "Okay." Adam says. I get changed quickly, and look in the mirror. I see a little girls reflection staring at me. "Hi Mia." She says sweetly. Lilith. I don't know how I knew that, lucky guess? Adam did tell me that Lilith's vessel was a little girl with blonde hair and brown eyes and wearing a pink dress. "Why are you here?" I ask, fighting for my voice to be steady. "Oh, just wanted to chat." She states happily, smiling. "What about?" I ask suspiciously. "Those Winchesters. And your boyfriend, Adam Milligan." She states. I frown. What do they want from me that's so important? And Adam isn't my boyfriend! I only met him two weeks ago! My god, everyone thinks that. It's getting really annoying. "You and I are going to have so much fun together! I love it!" She smiles again, but this time it's cruel. Lilith giggles. I back away. She smiles at me, like we were sharing some private joke. "Come on Mia, your scared. I know your deepest fears...Your father." I stumble backwards and my back hits the wall. "I know your afraid of him." I flinch. "He beat you." My blue eyes grow wide. "He tortured you. Beat you with an inch of your pure, innocent, beautiful life. Cut after cut you made, you suffered. That self inflicted pain you gave yourself made you who you are today. But Mia, did you really deserve it? You seem so nice…Your dad let you rot. He wanted you to die. He wanted you gone, because he blamed you for killing your sweet mom and your unborn brother and sister. Their names were going to be Lucas Caleb Comenzo and Amber Lynn Comenzo…Your mom screaming, making her voice numb…the blood… 'everything is your fault,' as your dad once said. He blames you. I don't. I know what it's like to want revenge. We could get though this together. Promise." I swallow roughly. I do want to get revenge on my father for making me suffer. Another part warns me that I'm making a deal with a little demon girl named Lilith. The most powerful of all demons, just ranked under Lucifer himself. She just wants me to agree to let her help me, but she just wants her own gain, not mine. She could care less about my life's story. She wants me to let her in. She doesn't care about my pain. She has her own reasons. She wants to get revenge on my friends, the only family I have left. "Stop it Lilith! STOP TALKING!" I shout, tears streaming down my face. "What do you want with me?!" I yell again. "Do not worry...You'll find out soon…Mia, you will. I have to leave now. See you next time, Mia..." Lilith's white eyes roll into their sockets, and it makes me shiver. Lilith snaps her fingers, and disappears. And my meeting with a little white eyed demon girl named Lilith is over. I tie my hair back into a loose ponytail and walk out of the bathroom. Lilith's powerful choice of words bounce around in my skull. I am a failure. I am not happy. I am usually sad. I am ugly, and I know that. I feel like I'm a disgrace. No, I am a disgrace. I'm an extra person. I'm one more thing for Sam and Dean Winchester and Adam Milligan Winchester to worry about, some random broken girl they found getting attacked by Crowley in an alleyway, the scared little broken girl who is me. They saved me, which caused them pain, but then I go off and get attacked by demons. They have enough on their shoulders. They don't need me. They just don't want to say it to my face. I know they don't want me around, because I'm a failure. They're afraid if they tell me, I'll just break down, and I have a feeling that I will break down. I've only been with them for under two weeks, and I've almost died once. That is a sure sign of whats to come. They probably don't want me around anymore. I'm a burden to them and a waste of space to them. They probably think I'm messed up. Broken. And I am. I won't deny it. I know how dead I feel inside, how I look in the mirror every morning and hate what I see. I see my own broken reflection staring back at me. My dead blue eyes, my messy, dull, long blonde hair, my paranoia of my body, people calling me fat, which led me to become anorexia. My cuts, my bruises, my scars, my empty, lifeless smile staring back at me. You don't know pain until your standing in front of a mirror with tears running down your face and your begging yourself just to hold on and be strong, because you know you are dead inside, how worthless you feel. That is pain. Emotional scarring pain. I'm surprised that my friends didn't notice my scars yet. I know I killed my mom and brother and sister. I made them die, all because of me. All because I was born, my mom died. My dad was right. I don't deserve to live. I deserve to die. My dad beat me and made me cut. My father made me who I am today. I am a monster. A depressed little girl with nothing. No sanity, no life, no reason to live. I am worthless. I am sad. I am depressed. I am broken, physically and mentally. I am unloved. I am hated and a messed up person. Everyone thinks I'm happy, but I'm not. I'm scarred. My smile is fake, and my laugh is fake. My friends don't know I have a war raging inside my mind. I have my own demons I'm fighting. They don't know I'm broken. They think I'm alright, but I'm not. I try to stay strong, but I cry myself to sleep every night. I don't want to get up in the morning and face the day, because I am scared of what people will think about me. People call me weak. They say I don't deserve to live. I deserve to die. I believe everything that they say. I do. I don't know what Lilith and the demons have in store for me, or what she was talking about in the bathroom, but I can tell something bad is coming. And it's coming for me. I bet Lilith just wants her own personal gain. She wants revenge on my friends for some reason. My friends don't care if I live or die. They want me out of their lives. I believe it, too. They don't want me here. Maybe they'll be nice and dump me out of the Impala and put me on the side of the road. They want me gone. Lilith is right. "Mia?" I hear someone faintly call. "Mia?" I blink. "Mia?" I blink again. "Are you ok?" I hear Dean ask. "What is it?" I snap, letting my worry and paranoia come out. Sam swallows. Adam stares at me. Dean frowns. "You've been standing there for a few minutes. We called your name, but you seemed so lost in thought...Are you sure your ok?" I nod, but don't say anything. "Do you want to talk about anything? I'm sure we've been though the same things…based on experience." "I'm ok." I say, moving towards my bed. Sam and Dean exchange worried looks, and Adam comes over at sits down on the bed next to me. That my first lie to them. I'm not ok. Wordlessly, I fall into the motel's bed and silently sob. It doesn't take long to fall asleep. Here I am, at 4:43 in the morning, crying myself to sleep because of a little White-Eyed Demon girl named Lilith. I wake up the next morning and stretch. I had no nightmares, surprisingly. I glance over at the clock, and it reads 10:17. I only slept six hours, and I must look like hell. "Good morning princess!" I hear my friends call loudly. I roll over to see a shirtless Adam Milligan there. I quickly shut my eyes again, my cheeks turning slightly pink. "Morning Mia." I hear Sam call, a smirk etching in his sentence. "How was that view?" Dean asks, laughing. "Shut up!" Adam and I exclaim simultaneously, both turning bright red. "Little Adam and Mia are blushing! Aww! Sam get a picture!" Oh crap. And here we are, at 10:17 in the morning, running away from Sam and Dean with cameras in their hands, (which, I promise you, is even more deadly than a weapon in their hands,) trying to get a picture of me and Adam blushing. I swear, my friends are so weird. "Adam, go left, dive under the bed. I'll go, too." I mumble to him as we run around in the motel room. I'm surprised we haven't got a complaint from the other people here in the motel. We both dive under the bed at the same time, making sure our bodies are covered. After a while, I feel someone moving right in front of the bed. "GOTCHA!" I hear Dean yell. Before I know it, I'm yanked out under the bed. I push my hair out of my face, and Dean smirks. "Time for the torture! Tickle time!" He smirks. God, Dean is so weird sometimes. He starts to tickle me, and I laugh. He picks me up fireman style, and I pounds small fists into his back. "Dean, where are we going?" I ask, giggling. "To eat, my sweet little angel." He smirks, carrying me. "Adam! Dean's trying to take me out for breakfast!" "Oh no your not!" I hear Adam call back playfully. Out of nowhere, Sam comes back with Adam, and they are both laughing. Adam frowns, and slowly moves towards Dean. Then, as fast as thought itself, Adam tackles Dean, and we all fall on the bed. Sam quickly snaps a picture. "Dude, come on!" Dean invites, smirking. Sam sets the camera down, and jumps on the bed. Dean switches and tackles Sam, while Adam tickles me. I'm wrestling with the Winchesters. That thought hits me, and I smile. These guys are my family. We're not blood related, but I feel like their my brothers. My own little family. My non-abusive family. My very own, monster-fighting, slightly crazed, demon killing family. My family…Dean Winchester, the flirty one, the one that is a hero. The one who went to hell and died many times, but came back to life. The undying spirit. Sam Winchester, the researcher, the glue that keeps us together. Castiel, Angel of the Lord, the healing Angel who has been broken. Me and Cas, we're both broken. He's an angel without his wings. I'm a scarred girl that didn't trust anyone for a long time. Now I do. These guys are my family now. Nothing can change that. I only trust them. Then there's Adam. Adam Milligan/Winchester, My savior, my own guardian angel, in a way. The one I- My thoughts get interrupted by Adam tickling me. "No, stop it! Stop it! Adam!" I laugh. "No! I will not let you go get breakfast with Dean! He will try to flirt with you!" "Dude, She's 16!" Dean replies muffled, somewhere under the blankets. "Mia, you don't let Dean Winchester flirt with you, ever. I swear, Dean's like a lady magnet." Sam says, shaking his head. "Sammy, I am!" Dean shoots back. Adam laughs. I swear, Adam is really nice to hang around with. He makes me feel safe. "Oh don't worry, I won't be one of them! Promise!" Dean makes a pouty face, and I poke his nose. He leans in and pokes my forehead. I poke his chin. He smirks and pokes my tummy. "BAD DEAN!" I yell, startling him. "YOU SHALT NAUGHT POKEIETH MAW TUMMIE!" The boys laugh and Dean pokes my forehead again. Adam smirks and pokes my neck, and it sends shivers up and down my spine. Pretty soon, we all engage in a pretty intense poke war. After a while, we all laugh and I poke Sam's face. He pokes my chin. I smirk and poke Adam's mouth, gently running my finger around his mouth. He lets out a small laugh and I smile. My friends laugh. "Come on Mia, lets go." Dean grins. "Let us come with you." Adam says, getting up from the bed, still trying not to laugh. "Okay." We all nod, laughing. We all get changed out of our pajamas. I change into a comfy outfit and curl my hair. We leave, driving to a random restaurant. "Good morning! Four?" Asks a waitress, her short black hair shining. The name on her blue uniform says Cassie. We all nod, and she leads us to a table. Sam and Dean slide into the booth, sitting together. "My name is Cassie, by the way. Just call me if you need anything." We all say thank you. Sam sighs and looks out the window and Dean checks out all the waitresses. Adam stares at me, like he was trying to figure something out. I should tell my friends about my meeting with Lilith, but I'm scared if I tell them, something bad will happen, so I don't. I order pancakes and bacon, Sam orders hash-browns, Dean orders some pie, and Adam orders homemade waffles and some french fries. It doesn't take long for the food to come out. "Thank you Cassie." We all say. "Your welcome." I look out the window, and see the people walking by. I see little children play in the park across the street, dogs catching frisbee's, a big granite fountain spewing up crystal clear water, couples, young and old, smiling together and looking peaceful, teenagers are walking around together, enjoying shopping. I turn back to my food and begin eating. "So, um, where do you think there's another case?" Dean asks, devouring his chocolate and vanilla pudding pie. "I don't know, but um…" Sam mumbles. "Did you notice there are no other people here?" "It must not be a popular diner." Dean scoffs, chewing his food. We finish our food and give Cassie a $2.75 tip. We walk out of the restaurant and walk to the Impala. "Boo!" I hear a voice say, giggling. Oh crap. Here we go again…Lilith. Just freaking great. I swear, Lilith is stalking me. A little girl is stalking me. That's just plain creepy. "Did you guys hear that?" I ask, frowning. "Yes, I did." The brothers say at once. "That sounded like…" Sam begins. "Yes, that's exactly who it sounds like." Adam cuts in. "Oh crap...Let's just go. Away from here." Dean says at once. We all nod in agreement. We drive quickly back to the motel room, pack up all our stuff, and leave the city in less then five minutes. We drive to an empty motel room, taking duffel bag after duffel bag of weapons and food into the motel room. There's no one in it, it doesn't look like anyone's been it for a while. We stock up on demon knives. We quickly make demon sigils at the door. We take an extra precaution and angel proof the abandoned motel room too. Dean says we will wipe off the sigils afterwards, if we don't damage the room. "I think we'll be safe for now. No demon or angel can get in here, except maybe Cas, just incase." Adam announces, after we're done. "Ok." We all sit down at a table. "How is Lilith back? We killed her!" Dean protests, scratching the back of his head. "Yes, we did. I don't know how…" Sam mumbles. I know how. She's coming for me. She is toying with me. She wants me, for some reason. All the sudden, Lilith's words come back into my skull. My friends don't care about me. They don't love me. They want me dead. "We'll be safe for now." I say, trying to lift their spirits. This is all my fault. "Yeah. We will." We sharpen our weapons for the next three hours. Dean and Sam fell asleep. Me and Adam are still sharpening the knives. It makes me blush, knowing how close Adam's body is to mine. I can hear his breath, the warmth of his skin, the calm beat of his heart. I swear, his eyes light up a room. There's a sense, a feeling, of protectiveness over me. That thought makes me stop sharpening the knife. What did I just think? Do I… I push the thought out of my head. No, that's impossible. I like him, sure, but only as a friend. Nothing more. "Hey, Mia..." Adam asks, shifting uncomfortably. "Yes?" I ask, looking straight into his pure blue eyes. "Are you ok? You seem so distant lately. Is there anything you want to talk about?" "No," I shake my head immediately. "Nothing's…wrong." I hesitate. One part of me screams I should tell him, and I really want to. Another part of me, an emotion all to familiar, fear, warns me that I should not. If I do, I have a bad feeling that Lilith will kill me and my friends. The best thing I could do right now is focus on something else, anything, but the death threats coming from Lilith. "Ok. If you want to talk about anything, I'm here." He says so softly, even I can barely hear it. I nod and smile. "You know Mia…I think your a really great person." He whispers. "Most of the girls are so over-dramatic, or mean, but I think your nice. Your…pure." He blushes. I laugh. I'm far from it. "Thank you." "Your welcome." "Hey, Adam. Guess what?" "What?" He asks. I grab his jacket from the chair. "Come and get it!" I chant. "No! Give it back!" He yelps, getting up. "Come and get it!" I smirk, running around the motel room. "Hey! Give it back!" He says, trying to grab my waist. "Nope." I smile. "Get over here." I put my face in front of his face. "Make me, Milligan." I taunt. "Your on, Comenzo." He makes a grab for his jacket, and I whip it away. "Come on, Addie. Come and get me" I tease. "Mi!" He whines. "Please can I have it back?" He asks, a small pout forming on his lips. "Fine..." I mumble, throwing his jacket to him, in which he smirks in victory. Dean groans. Sam sniffs. "Hey guys!" Me and Adam laugh, jumping off the bed. "What happened?" Dean asks groggily. "You two knuckleheads fell asleep." Sam and Dean rub their faces in their hands. "For how long?" "About an hour and twenty seven minutes. Not a very long nap in my opinion." I shrug. "You guys were out cold. You two slept like babies." Adam snickers. "Isn't that just great?" We both squeal like obnoxious teenagers. "I hate you guys." Dean mumbles. "We know, De." Adam smiles. "Say your sorry." I roll my eyes. "I'm sorry...NOT!" I scream, laughing. After a while, I calm down. "Um, guys can I sing?" I ask. The boys nod immediately, I hear wings, and Cas stands there too. "Hi Castiel!" I call, delighted. "Hello." He says calmly. "May I hear the pretty girl sing?" He asks, giving us puppy eyes. "Yes. Yes you can." My friends turn their attention to me. "Go ahead." Adam invites warmly. I nod. I quickly rack my brain, trying to pick a song. I settle on a song called crawl (carry me though) by superchick. "How long will this take? How much can I go through?" The boy's eye glaze over. "My heart, my soul aches, I don't know what to do. I bend, but don't break. Somehow I'll get through, 'Cause I have you." They focus their glazed eyes on me. Dean's battle-hardened green eyes soften. Sam's pure brown eyes focus on me, unblinking. Adam and Castiel have peaceful smiles on their faces. Adam's blue eyes stay focused on me. Castiel stares at me. "And if I had to crawl, Well, you'd crawl too, I stumble and I fall, Carry me through. The wonder of it all is you, See me through. Oh, Lord, where are you? Do not forget me here. I cry in silence, Can you not see my tears? When all have left me, And hope has disappeared, You'll find me here. And when I had to crawl, Well, you crawl too. I stumble and I fall, Carry me through, The wonder of it all is you, See me through." My friends breathing slows, almost like they were sleeping. "When everything I was is lost, I have forgot but you have not, When I am lost, you have not lost me. When everything I was is lost, I have forgot but you have not. When I am lost, you have not lost me, you have not lost me. And if I had to crawl, Well, you'd crawl too. I stumble and I fall, Carry me through, The wonder of it all is you, See me through..." My friends fall asleep, their heads hitting the pillows. They are asleep in less then thirty seconds. "Wow…I really need to stop singing to them." I mutter. "That was nice." Castiel mutters warmly. "Thank you." I smile approvingly. "Jimmy loved it." He smiles. "Your welcome, again, Jimmy!" "He says your welcome." I smile and move over to Cas. Being the child I am, I poke his face, sticking my tongue out. "Hey!" I hear someone, not Cas, yelp. "Jimmy?" I ask, confused. "Mia Comenzo." He nods. "Um, where's Cas?" "He's frolicking in multi-colored flowers, somewhere up in heaven. That's what he does when he's in a good mood." "Oh..." I reply, biting my lip. "You put both of us in a happy mood." I smile again. That's when I notice how blue his, both Jimmy and Castiel's, eyes are. Jimmy's are defiantly not as blue as Castiel's, but Jimmy's eyes have a thousand words to say. Castiel's eyes are bluer, which I happen to like. "I'm sorry I sung. I'm a bad singer…" "No, no," he says quickly. "Your an excellent singer! It's not everyday that someone could sing that well and put people in this type of trance. Angels do not usually have this kind of stupor, where an angel is speechless. It must be a great gift, to be able to sing like that. If you don't mind me asking a personal question, how long have you sung for?" "Three years, before I became a mute." "Oh..." After that, we (thankfully) let the conversation drop. Jimmy closes his eyes, and a bright white light goes into his eyes, ears, nose and mouth. "Jimmy? Jimmy!" I exclaim, rushing over to him. "I'm ok, Mia. It's Castiel. He's here. Goodbye Mia." "Goodbye, Jimmy." I say. Jimmy/Cas smiles, and Castiel's blue eyes appear. "Pretty girl made me happy. Went to go frolic in beautiful flowers with unicorns and rainbows." That was the first sentence that came out of his mouth. I nod, managing to keep a poker face. I'm getting really good at that. "That's nice, Cas." I smile. I turn around and I see Adam standing there. He changed into a red and white shirt and has a red hat on. "Adam! Your awake!" I smile. "Adam Milligan?" He asks, cocking his head to the side. 'Adam' turns to the real Adam. Adam is still asleep, curled up like a baby on the couch. I turn back to the man. "Who are you?" I demand. "My name is Samandriel. I am Castiel's brother, And I am an Angel of The Lord." "Ok, so, another angel." I nod. Yup. I knew that. Or, at least, I'm getting used to it. Adam, Sam and Dean shift, and wake up. "I am Samandriel's brother." Cas confirms. "I'm sorry, I thought I was talking to Adam." "That is fine." "Um, Samandriel, how'd you find us? The room is angel proofed." Sam asks, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. Samandriel's eyes flick to me. I walk over to the sink and pour water into a glass. "I found Mia. I found you guys. Only certain angels can do that, get through angelic sigils. People with special ties to someone. Like Castiel's ties to Dean Winchester, for instance." "We really need to get Mia branded." Sam mumbles. I spit out the water I was drinking. "Excuse me?" "Branded means to hide from angels. Well...the angels that want to kill you." Dean explains. I simply nod. Alright then. If I can survive getting beaten up by Crowley, the King of Hell himself, I think I can handle branding. Whatever that is. "Samandriel's good." I let out a breath I was holding. "Adam?" I smile. "Yeah?" "I got your jacket, again." "No!" He moans. "Not again." I get up and run around. Swinging the jacket around in the air. Adam chases after me, trying to grab his jacket. I twirl around, and swing the jacket around merrily. Adam huffs. "I do not understand the concept of this." Samandriel and Cas say at the same time. "What did we miss?" Sam and Dean ask confused. "Oh nothing, just Mia fooling around." Adam huffs, trying to snatch his jacket again. I twirl around and hold it up in the air, sticking out my tongue. Samandriel sticks out his tongue, testing, and his green eyes go crosseyed, trying to look at his tongue. Dean raises an eyebrow at us. "Not like that! God Dean, your a pervert!" I exclaim. "We know." Sam exclaims. rolling his eyes. I walk over to Samandriel, and smile. I pat his head. "Alfie says your pretty." Samandriel blurts out randomly. Samandriel covers his hand with his mouth, looking embarrassed. I smile, and Samandriel's blush gets deeper. Someone has a crush on me. I feel love swelling up in my chest, expanding outward. Here I am, surrounded by friends. Something I haven't had in my life, ever. "Aww! Does Alfie have a crush on Mia?" Adam teases. Although, something catches at the end of his voice. "No." Samandriel defends his vessel. "Alfie wants to know if he can hug you." I smile. "Sure!" I feel Adam's eyes burning into my skull as I walk over. Dean and Sam shift. "Hi Alfie!" I giggle. I wrap my arms around Samandriel, trying to get Alfie to talk to me. I pull him into a hug, Wrapping my arms tighter around him. "Samandriel...May I speak to him?" "Sure." He closes his pale green eyes, then opens them. Alfie's eyes are slightly darker than Samandriel's, eyes full of life. "Mia Comenzo." "Hi!" I smile. "Your very pretty." He says, wrapping his arms around my back. I blush. "Thank you!" I poke his nose. "Boop!" I exclaim. Alfie pretends to be offended. "Why would you do that?" He exclaims in mock horror. "Cause I wanted to." I poke his shoulder. "Poke!" Alfie laughs, then his face becomes serious. "Um, may I try something?" He asks. His cheeks are turning slightly pink. I nod. For some reason, I feel safe. I turn to see Adam staring at me. He looks like he wants to cry or hit someone or do both. "Sure!" I giggle. Blame my curious nature. He closes his eyes and leans in. His lips touch my cheek, leaving a burning sensation there that lingers. His breath is warm, and it sends pleasant shivers down my back. I hold him a little closer, a little tighter. He pulls away, his cheeks turning red. "So-sorry." "It's ok." I had my first kiss. I think slowly. Well, I guess it's not a kiss, really. I think it's more of a friendly way of saying something that words cannot explain. Me and Alfie are just friends, right? "Alfie..." I whisper. "Yes?" I smile. "Thank you." I whisper. "Pretty girl had kiss." Cas says. He stares at me I can see annoyance flash in his eyes. That might have been Jimmy, or just Cas's annoyance. "Yes, pretty girl had kiss." Dean says before I can. He sounds slightly annoyed. "Congrats, Alfie!" Sam says. He frowns, and he makes a sideways glance at Adam, who frowns at me. "Samandriel needs to come back, guys." Alfie says sadly. "Alright. You'll come if we need anything?" Adam asks. His voice sounds strained, jealous. Of what, I don't know. "yeah, of course" "Bye Mia." "Goodbye...Alfie..." Light enters his mouth and Samandriel's pale green eyes are back. "I must leave now. I'm very sorry. Goodbye." Samandriel explains sadly. His wings stretch out. He leaves, leaving us alone with the awkward tension filling the room. I start humming a random song. I sigh. The boys are staring at me. Cas left a while ago. He said he wanted to hike up a mountain in heaven. "What?" "Alfie kissed you." Dean says slowly "Yeah. So what? It's not like we had sex." Dean's face twists up in rage. I see my father behind him, doing the exact thing, drinking a bottle of beer, and then the rounds of abuse. He smiles cruelly at me. I start shaking. "No! Get out of my friend. You evil son of a bitch!" Dean frowns. "What's wrong Mia?" Sam asks. "GET OUT OF MY FRIEND! GET AWAY! GET AWAY FROM DEAN!" I scream. "Mia! No one is here! Calm down!" Adam says. I turn around a sob in his chest. I don't care what they think. I'm scared enough already as it is. I don't need these visions of my father. I sniff, quickly wiping away my tears. I hadn't even realized I was crying. "What's happened?" Samandriel asks. I wiggle my way out of Adam's comforting grasp and run into Samandriel's grasp. "Shh, shh, it's ok. Your ok." He whispers. His wings wrap around me. I snuggle closer into Samandriel's chest and softly sob. "Your safe, don't worry." I nod, still sobbing. "Where's-Where's Al-Alfie?" I ask quietly. "He's here. Do you want to speak to him?" I nod. Samandriel closes his eyes and Alfie's eyes appear. "What happened?" Adam asks. "She thought she saw her father." His grip tightens on me. "What? Why?" Sam frowns. "Nothing, never mind." I mumble. "It's ok Mia." Alfie says, kissing the top of my head. "Adam…can you come here?" I whisper to him. I slowly leave Alfie's grasp and hug Adam. He hesitates, then wraps his arms around me. I think Samandriel/Alfie likes me. I'm not sure about Adam. Adam seems so distant lately. It's almost like he's jealous. Again, there's that word. Jealous. "Adam…" I mumble. "Yes?" He asks. "Thank you, for everything." I stay in Adam's warm grasp. I hear two pairs of flapping wings, and Samandriel and Cas aren't there anymore. Maybe they had something to do. Sam and Dean stare at us. Next to me and Adam, Dean looks tired, worn out, from all the hunting he did in his life. Sam looks just as tired and worn out. I hope still up for hunting. All the sudden, my head head starts to hurt. My throat burns. I feel like I just swallowed fire. "Ouch!" I mumble. "Ow!" My voice is hoarse, dry. "Ow! Ouch! OW!" I stumble, falling into a nightstand. It crashes to the ground, the pieces of glass making a plunking noise. I hold my head while trying not to blackout. A stinging sensation rips though me. My eyes move around rapidly. I hear giggling. Lilith. She stands there in the mirror. My friends gasp and back up in surprise. "Hey Mia! Glad to see you again! It's time to leave now." "No! Shut up!" I yell. Lilith's lips form in a pout. "Aw, come on Mia, don't be like that! I just want to play with you and those Winchesters!" "No!" I shout, my head spinning. "Fine...If you say so..." She snaps her fingers and my friends start chocking. Red liquid comes out of their mouth. Blood. Sam and Dean chock on their own blood. Adam clutches his stomach and collapses, chocking on his blood. "No! Stop it!" I beg. "Please!" "Fine…but if only you agree to be my vessel…" My eyes widen, as do my friends. "Ve-vessel?" I ask. "Yes, come on, please?" She begs. "N-no." I whisper. "That'll never happen." "Come on, your friends don't love you. They think your weak, a disgrace. Messed up. Broken. They don't want you as a hunter, they want you out of their lives. They'd rather see you dead than watch one of their brothers die. When the time comes, their not gonna care about you. So you know you can't trust them, right? You know Sam, Adam and Dean Winchester are psychotically, irrationally, erotically codependent on each other, right? They'd rather save each other's sweet bacon than save your life. Thats how far their family goes. Save themselves and leave everyone they know in the dust. Both Milligan and Winchester, they killed their father, their mother. They want you gone, Mia. I know what it's like to want revenge. You want revenge your father for making you suffer. I can give you that. I can give you anything you want. We'll be friends. Promise. We can get though this together. We can be our own little family, and destroy those who want us gone. We will get though this. All the other demons seem terrified of me. We can get whatever we want. We can be friends. Together, we can get though this. I'll let your friends live. Promise. All you have to do is say one simple little word. Yes." Lilith says, trying to provoke me. I'll admit, it's working. I do want revenge on my father. I do want my friends safe. "Mia," Adam groans. "Don't!" "Mia…" Sam and Dean yell. "Don't! She's lying! We do care about you. We do love you! Please, don't!" "Let me think about it...Please Lilith…Give me...Give me some time to say goodbye…" I beg, my voice breaking. "Okay. I'm glad you see it my way." Lilith smiles and nods, like I said the correct answer. She snaps her fingers, and my friends stop gagging. Lilith snaps her fingers and disappears. My friends quickly wipe off the blood coming from their mouth with a towel. They swish water around in their mouth to get any excess blood out. "Mia…your not seriously thinking about…" Sam begins, his voice hushed. I nod. "I have to…I don't want you guys to be hurt anymore. Lilith will kill all of us if I don't say yes." "But Mia…" I shake my head. "I'm so sorry." "Mia…Please…we do care about you…" Dean begs. They all have tears in their eyes. They do care about me. "Guys…Just…Please don't make it harder then it already is…" I say, pulling my friends into a hug. I pull away, then hug Sam. "Sammy…Thank you, for everything." Sam swallows, tears flowing down his cheeks. I give him a kiss on the cheek. I move over to Dean. "Dean…Thank you, for everything. For helping me, for finding me." Dean blinks, his breathing slow, his eyes wide. I give him a kiss on the forehead. I walk over to Adam, who doesn't try to hide the tears. "Adam," I say, my voice breaking, "Thank you, for everything, for protecting me... For being my friend, for never giving up on me, I really do appreciate it. Thank you. Adam…" I whisper. I give him a kiss on the cheek. I pull away, but Adam pulls me into a long hug. He sobs. "Mia..." He whispers. "Come here, please." He holds me closer into his chest, he kisses my forehead. We stay in each others grasp. Adam lifts my chin, tears still running down his face, and my heart flutters. He cups my face, and leans in. He kisses my lips. His lips are soft and warm. There's heat in that kiss. There is sadness and pain and nervousness and grief in the kiss. It startles me, but I do not pull away. I have never been kissed by a boy, and I'm sure if one of my family members were still alive, they would not approve of me kissing a boy. It is the first kiss of my life, and it makes something stir deep inside me. It makes me want more. The sensation inside me grows warmer and spreads out from my chest, down though my body, out along my arms and legs, to the tips of my being. Instead of satisfying me, the kiss has the opposite effect, of making my need greater. This is not the hunger for food. This is an entirely new kind of hunger. Passion. Love. That word makes my train of thought stop. I love Adam. He traces his hands down my shoulders, down my back, where they rest on my waist. We part, and he smiles. "Mia…" He whispers in my ear. "I love you." My heart beats faster. This is love. I am in love with Adam Milligan. The tears flow down my face now, and Adam wipes them away with the back of his thumb. "I-I love you too, Adam." He smiles and pecks me on the cheek again. Lilith appears again, fake tears streaming down her face. "Hi Mia. I have a present for you. And that was sooo sweet!" She says in mock happiness. I start shaking. She wipes away a demon sigil. "Come here." She beckons something. Black smoke pours in. A demon. Great. There's only one demon, by the looks of it. I realize something. The boys have anti-possession tattoos. I don't. Again, great. Maybe, if I survive this, I'll get one. If I survive. "Here you go, Mia. Here's your present. Play nice, now. Have fun!" Lilith laughs and waves her hand in a go ahead gesture. She disappears again, and the demonic smoke moves closer. Sam, Adam and Dean make a wall around me, trying to protect me, but it's no good. The smoke enters my mouth with little difficultly. I gag, trying to get it out of my system. Again, it's no use. The smoke enters my mouth. I start swaying back and forth and side to side, the demonic smoke already taking control of my system. My friends stare at me, horrified. "Mia?" I smile cruelly at them. I can't control it. It's like I'm stuck and unable to use my body properly. I'm fighting for control enough as it is. "Well this is going to be fun, now, isn't it?" I blink, smile, and my eyes go black. *Adam's POV* "We tie her up." I say immediately. Demon Mia cocks her curiously to the side. "What's wrong, Adam? Don't want to hurt precious little Mia?" "Yes," We say at the same time. "That's exactly what we don't want to do." Demon Mia flicks her hand and Sam and Dean crash into different walls, on opposite sides of the room. She huffs, blowing her hair out of her face. "They were annoying me. Besides, I just want to talk to you Adam." She focuses on me. "You do realize she let me, a damned soul, in right?" Demon Mia asks, making her blue eyes appear black, then back to blue. She smiles, and moves closer towards me, her eyes turning from black to blue. Mia, the real Mia, is somewhere trapped in there. My girlfriend is somewhere trapped in there. "Mia! You have to fight it! Fight the demon off!" Sam yells, but it's strained. "You can do it!" Dean yells in encouragement, his voice is heavy and strained with struggling against the demonic force that's holding him pinned to the wall. Mia, the real Mia, blinks, and stares at us. My brothers slump to the ground, and gasp for breath, clutching their chests. "Guys? I-" Mia's eyes turn black. Mia is losing control of her own body, her own soul. This must be a stronger, higher ranked demon than we realized. If the demon takes total control of her body… "You do realize something, don't you? She really is scared, of everything. She's scared of Sam, of Dean, of you, Adam. She hates you. She doesn't feel any love for you. And, another thing…" Demon Mia pauses, smirking. She rolls up her sleeve, to reveal lines on her arms. "What…" Dean and Sam say, staring at the lines. "That's her self harm." Demon Mia says, smirking a little bit. "Why would she…" Sam breathes. "This life you threw her into. She doesn't like it. She died because of your mistakes. She believes she is broken, messed up, scared, a waste of space, worthless. And trust me, she is. There's pages and pages of words that Mia could use to describe how she feels about herself, but I chose a few out of the never ending, carefully sorted out list." Mia? Broken? But…She seems so full of life. She seems so happy. I can't wrap my head around it. Dean blinks, still staring at it. Sam's jaw clenches. It hurt me just to look at them. They were covered in a collage of angry red and dark brown scars, both fresh and old. How did we not notice them before? I feel so helpless, just staring at her scars. "Alright, enough talk. Time to send your ass back to the pit and get out of our friend." Dean says forcefully. We quickly and painlessly as we can knock Demon Mia out, because we didn't want to cause any pain to the real Mia. We put Mia's body in a chair and lift it over to a sigil. Sam hands me the book, and find the page to exorcise a demon. I find the page and begin. "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica." Demon Mia starts screaming. Even though there's a demon inside my girlfriend, it breaks my heart, knowing that I am doing this to her. I am making her scream. Guilt claws at my heart, but I force myself to keep going. "Mia is going to die…" The demon smiles between the pain. "She'll be in the pit for all eternity…Want to know why? It's because she wants to die. And we'll make sure she does. Her screams will be the last thing you hear…" Sam and Dean swallow. I force myself to swallow down my nervousness and continue to read. "Ergo draco maledicte et omnis legio diabolica adjuramus te. Cessa decipere humanas creaturas, eisque aeternae Perditionis venenum propinare. Vade, Satana, inventor et magister omnis fallaciae, hostis humanae salutis. Humiliare sub potenti manu dei, contremisce et effuge, invocato a nobis sancto et terribili nomine, quem inferi tremunt. Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, Domine. Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate servire te rogamus, audi nos. Ut inimicos sanctae Ecclesiae humiliare digneris, te rogamus, audi nos. Terribilis Deus de sanctuario suo. Deus Israhel ipse truderit virtutem et fortitudinem plebi Suae. Benedictus deus. Gloria patri." Translation: 'We exorcise you, every impure spirit, every satanic power, every incursion of the infernal adversary, every legion every congregation and diabolical sect. Thus cursed demon and every diabolical legion we adjure you. Cease to deceive human creatures and to give to them the poison of eternal Perdition. Go away, Satan, the inventor and master of all deceit, the enemy of humanity's salvation. Be humble under the powerful hand of god tremble and flee - I invoke by us the sacred and terrible name at which those down below tremble. From the snares of the devil, free us, lord. So that you may make your Church safe to serve you freely, we ask you, hear us. So that you may destroy the enemies of your sacred Church, we ask you, hear us! God is frightening about his own sacred place. The God of Israel Himself will have thrust excellence and strength to His Own people. Blessed be God. Glory be to the Father.' Demon Mia screams, and the demonic black smoke comes out of her mouth. Her shoulders slump. Her breathing is shallow, but at least she is alive. I snap the book shut. We wait eagerly for Mia to wake up. Her eyes shoot open, and she kicks me in my stomach. I groan. "What was that for?" "No! No more demons!" She somehow frees herself from the binds and grabs a pint of holy water off the table. She splashes it in our faces, and we spit out the holy water. "Mia!" Sam grabs her shoulder, but she stares at him, her eyes go squinty, and she punches Sammy square in the nose. Sam stumbles back, more in surprise than pain. "No! Get away!" She yells, glaring at us, eyes wild, chest heaving. "Mia!" Dean tries to calm her down. "GET AWAY!" She screams. Her eyes focus, not dazed by fear or confusion. She blinks, staring at us. "Sorry…" Mia mumbles, looking down at her feet. "Wow. That girl can punch really hard. Adam, control your girlfriend!" Sam groans, clutching his nose. That word catches me off guard. The word girlfriend still seems alien. "Sorry..." I sigh. I glance at the clock. It reads 6:31PM. "Wow, we're running low on food. Um…Me and Sam will make a trip to the store." Dean says. "What about us?" Mia asks, frowning. "We cant risk Lilith finding you and possessing you again. Me and Sam will go." We both nod. I don't think any of us want to go though that again, especially Mia. I don't know what I'd do. I have to protect her, at all costs. Dean glares at us playfully. "And don't do anything while we're gone." Mia arches an eyebrow. "And what's that?" She smirks. "Nothing," Sam says quickly, before Dean can respond. Sam shoots Dean a look and Dean holds up his hands in innocence. "I'm serious. No doing anything. Well, that I wouldn't do." Dean adds with a smirk. Sam smacks the back of his head. Dean huffs in annoyance. "Dude, I'm just truing to have fun!" "Well then, don't be a pervert!" "God Sammy, I love you, bust sometimes, you annoy me." "Jerk." Sam retorts. "Bitch." Dean counters back. Sammy rolls his eyes. They leave. By the sound of their voices, their still arguing. "Adam? Can I get a tattoo of the anti-possession?" She asks. "Yes." I nod. "And are we boyfriend and girlfriend?" "Yes." "Do you love me?" Her voice is hushed, like she's worried someone will overhear. "Yes." I smile. "With all my heart, I love you." *Mia's POV* I was just possessed by a demon. That's a lot to wrap my head around. Adam saunters towards me and grabs my waist and pulls me closer to him. I can feel the steady beat of his heart. Then he crashes his lips passionately against mine. I did something that might've surprised him. I kissed him back. I smile in between the kiss. "Adam Milligan…" I whisper, breathing heavily. "Yes?" He asks. "I love you." "I love you too." Now it's Adam's turn to smile. He still kisses me, but with more passion than before. I am in love Adam Milligan. He deepens the kiss just a little. I wrap my legs around his waist, kiss him softly, yet firmly, and he breaks away, breathless. "Come here." I smile. He leans in and kisses me, yet again. His hand grips my hair softly, pushing me against the wall, deepening the kiss. I tangle my fingers in his hair. Our lips lock. Adam's hands roam around my body and I groan softly. He kisses me again. I play with the hem of his shirt and quickly run my fingers up and down his toned chest. He smiles, his tongue begging for entrance to enter my mouth. I grant him that permission and we moan. "I love you." I smile again. He plays with my hair and I beg him closer. "I love you too." We continue to kiss passionately for a good two or three minutes. We pull away, breathing heavily and looking into each other's eyes. "Adam…" His name is all I can say. His name comes so easily to my tongue. It's like it's automatic. He sets me down gently. I poke his arm. "What was that for?" He frowns. "For being a good boyfriend. Congratulations, you got your award!" I say in an announcer-like voice. "Yay! Where's my award?" He asks, looking around. "Here," I say, crashing my lips against his. We part and I poke his stomach. "Poke!" He pokes my shoulder. "Poke!" "Nooo..." I moan. "No poking my tummy!" "Let the games begin." Adam announces. "I wonder if Samandriel or Cas ever tasted what an ice-cream sundae tastes like..." I mumble, way, way off topic. Like, off-the-grid off topic. God, I swear, if Samandriel or Cas starts asking what an ice-cream sundae tastes like, I'm going to personally drag their angelic asses to a random ice cream shop somewhere in town and order a whole lot food for them, preferably ice cream. Wow…I just sounded like Dean for a second, with my sarcasm. I think the Winchesters are finally rubbing off on me. Adam smirks. "That'd actually be quiet amusing." I look up towards the sky. "Hey, Cas, Samandriel, can you get down here?" I ask prayer like. Almost immediately, Cas and Samandriel appear. "Yes?" "When Sam and Dean get back, do you all want to go out and eat ice-cream?" Samandriel and Cas both frown and say simultaneously: "What is an 'ice-creamed'?" Cas squints at us, as if he's trying to see us better. "I do not understand...what is an 'ice-creamed?' Is it...Is it good?" Samandriel asks, a blank expression on his face. Adam and I crack a smile. "Ice cream is a frozen dessert containing cream and sugar and flavoring. Any kind you want. And yes, Samandriel, it's good." I smile. "Any flavor? Like…" Samandriel thinks really hard, as if trying to come up with a flavor. "Mint chocolate chip? That is Alfie's favorite." We both nod. "Um…" Cas frowns. "Or…Vanilla? Jimmy said it's his favorite..?" Cas does the little squinty thing. I feel the cracks of my lips split into a grin. "Yes." "What is your favorite ice cream?" The two angels ask us. "Mine is chocolate chip cookie dough." Adam says. "Mine is hot fudge sundae with brownies, whipped cream and sprinkles." I haven't had ice-cream in four years. I nearly forgotten what it tastes like. "That makes a happy girl?" Cas asks. "Yes, very happy girl." I smile. I mentally breath a sigh of relief. I am so glad that these two angels didn't ask what whipped cream was, or I swear I'd go crazy. "Hey!" We all turn and see Sam and Dean there. "We're back." "Dean, can we go get Ice…cream?" Castiel asks Dean. Dean and Sam raise an eyebrow at us. "What did you do?" "Nothing…Just asked if Samandriel and Cas if they tasted ice cream. And then this happened." Adam replies. "So, can we?" Samandriel asks, his wings stretching out to their full length. "Yeah, sure. Here, Mia." Sam throws me a charm. I catch it, and stare at it. "What is it?" I ask Dean. "An anti possession charm. It'll ward off possession from demons." "Ok. Good. I do not want to have to go though that again." We all nod in agreement. I'm surprised my friends haven't asked about my self harm. The car ride is silent. Samandriel and Cas are following us, or flying, I should say. "Okay, we're here." We exit out of the Impala and I fix my jacket. Samandriel and Cas appear next to us, watching the clouds move in the sky. We enter, keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. "Welcome!" A girl with chocolate brown hair greets us. She's maybe around my age, with light brown eyes. "My name's Alexandria and I'll be your server today." For some reason, she looks familiar. Alexandria leads us to a table. "What will we have today?" We all order our favorite ice creams and she leaves. Castiel is very, very curious about everything in the icecream shop. "Adam…What is this?" Castiel asks, pointing to stool. "That's a stool." "Can I smack someone with it?" My eyes widen. Poor Cas. The God damn purgatory souls must have screwed him up royally. I feel so bad for him. Adam wraps his arm around my shoulder, and I rest my head on his chest. My eyes widen. "No Cas! My God, no!" "But why?" He whines. "Because you might hurt someone." "Why?" "Because you might hurt their feelings. And I don't think people will appreciate it. The owners will most defiantly not like that." "Why?" "Because the people that own the shop will throw us out." "Why?" "Because they don't want people hurting other people." "Why?" "Because I said so." Samandriel and Cas both frown, and we all chuckle. "What's that?" Castiel gasps, pointing to the milkshake maker. "That's an milkshake maker." "What's that?" "Um, that is a bathroom." "What's that?" "That's a light switch." "Ooh, yay!" He laughs, clapping his hands together. "And what's your name, sugar?" Alexandria asks Cas. "Castiel, Angel of The Lord." Alexandria blinks. People around us send questioning glances at us, but quickly look away. Dean flashes an apologetic smile to them. "He has a mental condition. We'll take him to the doctors right after." Alexandria nods and her eyes settle on me. "Mia Comenzo." My blue eyes stare at her light brown ones. How did she know my name? Why does she look so familiar? My friends stiffen. Adam's arms tighten around me. Alexandria smiles. "Do you not recognize me? Jesus Christ, Mimi. Your memory is getting dull." I frown. "Remember? I was at your house the night…Um..." She trails off awkwardly. My memory suddenly floods back to me with such force, it feels like someone just slammed on the breaks to quickly. My eyes widen. "Le-Lexi?" "Hey girl. Well, that certainly took you long enough." "Lexi!" I say, jumping up from Adam's grasp and giving her a hug. Alexandria smiles and hands us our ice creams. "And who is this?" My friends question. "Alexandria Parker, my only friend…for a long time." "Oh. Mia, you have some pretty good looking friends." Dean comments. We all roll our eyes. Adam motions for me to sit down again. He wraps his arms protectively around me. "Ooh. And whose this?" "My boyfriend. And his brothers and two angels. Don't worry…I'll explain later." "That's ok. I trust you." "Is she a demon? If she is then she is a pretty demon." Cas comments. Lexi blushes. "No, I'm human." She smiles. Alexandria checks her watch. "I gotta go. My shifts over." We all nod. "Bye guys!" She says loudly. "Bye Alexandria!" We say. We all eat our ice cream. Cas and Samandriel frown, looking at their icecreams. "What's wrong?" Dean smiles, eating his pie. Typical Dean. Get pie at an icecream shop. "I am an angel of The Lord. Angels are not required to eat." Samandriel says. Castiel stares at it, his blue eyes peering down at the icecream. "Oh, Cas…" I smile. "Guys, come on…try it." Sam says. Castiel and Samandriel pick up a spoon and takes a scoop of ice cream. They smile and take a small bite. "It…is good!" My two angels perk up. We all laugh. Adam feeds me ice cream like a baby, and I don't protest. "Adam..." I smile. "Yes?" I smack his arm. He frowns. "Come here, come here." I whisper. "Yes?" I grab his shirt and pull him into a kiss. He smiles in between the kiss. Sam smiles and Dean snaps a picture. We pull away and he stares into my eyes. "What was that for?" "Your a good boyfriend. I love you." He smiles. "I love you too Mia." He smirks. Samandriel frowns. "You two much really love each other. Am I correct?" We stare at Samandriel, a small smile playing on my lips. It occurs to me that I don't think the angels have the equipment to show any emotion. They don't feel love, no sadness, no emotional pain. They are like robots. They just carry out orders. Do what they are told and don't question anything. I pull Adam into a quick kiss, then stand up. "Come on. Lets go." We leave and drive back to the motel. "Hey. Is there a case anywhere? I want some action in my life." Dean complains. "Um, yeah. I'll look." Same opens up his laptop and searches for a case. "I found a case." He says after a while. It took him ten minutes to find a case. That's not the fastest time ever, but by no means slow. "What is it?" Dean asked as we all walked over to the Sam. Adam smiles and gives me a kiss. Adam sits down and I swing my leg over his lap and sit on him. Dean smirks. Adam rolls his eyes and wraps his arms around my waist. "We found a hunt," Sam told him. That little information seemed to perk me up, the thought of helping out someone and kicking monsters asses bringing me joy. I hope I can get my revenge on Crowley sometime. But, helping people out makes me feel good. Usefulness. Dean sighed. "What is it?" Dean asked. "A Banshee." Adam paused and thought about that. "Isn't that Irish?" He asked. I nod. "Yes. It is." "Listen, it's in New York so we need to book it," Dean says. "So, how much do you know about Banshee's?" Adam asked as he wrapped his arm around me. I laid my head on his chest and give him a quick kiss. Sam shrugs, sitting down on the edge on one of the beds. "They're Irish legend, people who are about to die hear her scream. That's the condensed version but the real facts behind it is complicated," Sam said. "Well, what are the real facts?" Dean demanded, glaring at him. Sam sighed. "A Banshee, also known as Beam Sidhe or Supernatural Woman in Irish Gaelic, was originally only supposed to cry for 5 major families, the O'Neill's, O'Brien's, O'Connor's, O'Grady's, and the Kavanagh's. Although marriage has extended to list," he said with a shrug. "They're always in 1 of 3 disguises: a young woman, a raddled old hag or a stately matron. Representing the 3 aspects of the Celtic Goddess of War and Death, namely Dadhbh, Macha and Mor-Rioghain, usually wears a gray hooded cloar of the Winding Sheet or Grave Robe of the Unshriven dead. They may appear as a washer woman, washing the blood stained clothes of those about to die." Dean tried to say something but Sam continued. "Although not always seen, her mourning call is heard, usually at night when someone is about to die. The cry is said to be able to shatter glass, but it depends on the area. There are several records of human Banshee's of Prophetesses attending the houses of of Ireland and the courts of local Irish Kings. They may also appear in a variety of other forms, like a hooded crow, stoat, hare and a weaslels, animals associated in Ireland witchcraft," "What-" Dean started but Sam cut him off. "Many claim them to be friendly spirits whose mournful cries heralds an unpending death in the family. According to legend there are some Banshee's that relish in taking life and will stalk their victims, wailing and screaming at them to the point that the victim goes insane or dies. Another legend notes that she is the ghost of a young woman who died brutally that her spirit is left to wonder the world watching her family and loved ones, warning them that a violent death in imminent, but that's highly unlikely," Sammy said, rolling his eyes at the suggestion. We went silent again until Dean cleared his throat. "So, all that means...?" he trailed off, a confused look on his face. Sam sighed. "It means that there are 2 types of Banshee's. One that will warn you and one that will kill you to feed off your pain," Sam explained. "Well, great," Dean said, sitting next to Sam on the bed. "How do we kill it?" He shrugged and shook his head. "You cant," he stated. "Banshee's are immortal, all you can do is banish them from your thoughts." "Wonderful," Dean growled. "Could be worse," I stated. "Could be a seriously pissed off angel or one of Crowley's demon buddies." The boys chuckled. Dean let out a sigh. "Alright, I'm going to catch a shower then crash, we need to get going early," he said walking to the bathroom. The rest of the morning had gone smoothly, a slight argument here and there between Dean and Adam. Something about protecting me. Adam won. He defended that I need to be protected because of what happened at the Smith's house. It was really sweet. We all decided to get dressed in their Sunday Best, got breakfast and played straws to decide who had to do what. The waitress laughed as we made her hold the straws for us, telling us that we weren't the first people to make her do this. Dean and Sam ended up paired together to go to the Morgue while me and Adam were destined to talk to the relatives. "Make sure that you bring your buddy back with you," Sam said with a smile. "Because if only one of you comes back that defeats the purpose of the Buddy System." Adam rolled his eyes. "Please, I wouldn't leave her." Dean said walking towards the Impala before stopping. "Wait, you guys should take the Impala," Dean told Adam and me. Sam nodded. "Good thinking. That alright, Dean?" His brother grunted. He told him, tossing his keys. "See you in a few hours." "We're sorry to keep hounding you but our company is very careful with cases like this," Adam told the victim's wife as she grew more teary eyed. The woman nodded. "Okay." "Why don't you tell us what happened," I suggested from my spot on the couch. The woman took a deep breath before starting. "We were outside at one of those bestro things having dinner," she began. "We had just ordered desert when he started to scream. He knocked the table over and ran off," she told us with a sniff. "He came back home a few hours later saying that he had a migraine and that he was going to bed early. I stayed up to finish some work and I..." she trailed off, shaking her head. "When I went to bed I thought he was just sleeping but when I woke up the next morning he was-" she broke off with a sob. Adam got up and wrapped his arm around the woman's shoulder in a comforting way. *Dean's POV* "What's the C.O.D.?" I asked as me and Sammy followed the Coroner into the chilled room. "Well, I don't really know," he answered. "Eardrums were completely shredded and there was trauma to the brain, but nothing that would have killed him," he explained, walking over to the wall of metal cabinets, opening one and pulling the shelf out to show the body. He pulled the sheet back and we both were surprised. "No autopsy?" Sam asked, looking at the unmarked skin of his chest. "Wife didn't want one," he answered. "Something about religion." I saw Sam's window of opportunity. With a sigh he took a step forward and looked him straight in the eye. "We have a reason to believe that there was foul play in this man's death and the wife is a suspect. We need you to do an autopsy," He told him with his best fed tone. The Coroner's eyes widened and he nodded quickly. "Yes, of course," he said before shuffling over to another table to get what he needed. "Foul play?" I whispered to him with a small smirk. He shrugged and smiled back. "I didn't hear you say anything," he whispered back. "You ready for this?" the Coroner asked, hovering the scalpel over the body. "Yep," we both said. He let out a sigh and sliced the skin open. All three jumped when blood shot into the air, showering them all with crimson liquid. Sam let out a groan. "Ah, come on," he grunted, stepping back to look down at himself. I swallowed hard and stared down at the body. The blood wasn't crimson to my eyes, it was black. The veins were a pitch black against the pink flesh of the body. 'If you ever hear the Banshee's cry, your blood will be the next to fly.' The old song flouted through my head as the image of the blood flying replayed itself in my mind. I didn't actually think that the blood would fly. Ugh. Disgusting. "You okay there, Agent?" the Coroner asked, looking over at me with a raised eyebrow. I nodded slowly and let out a small laugh. "Yeah, just have a Blade moment," I lied, getting blank looks from the two. "The movie Blade? Vampires? The night club that has blood in it's sprinkling system?" I asked, trying to jog whatever memory there would be to jog. They shook their heads. I let out a disappointed sigh. "You're hopeless," I said before reaching up and wiping my face off the best I could. "Keep going." *Mia's POV* "Well, that was a bust," Adam stated when they climbed into the Impala. "I wonder if Dean and Sammy found something," Adam said, pulling out his phone. He hit speed dial 1 and waited. "Please tell me you've got something," Sam's voice said from the other side of the phone with an annoyed voice. Adam sighed and dropped his head back against the seat rest. "No, just a lot of crying and repeat of what we already knew," he told him. "What happened to you?" Sam let out a sigh of his own. "We got a blood bath from the corps, literally." "A blood bath?" Adam asked. "What do you mean by-" "Cut into the corps and his blood went everywhere. Drenched everyone. Dean looks like he went at someone with a chainsaw," he said with a smile in his voice. "I'll go at you with a chainsaw!" Dean yelled from the background. "Dead mans blood, Deany-Beany!" he yelled. "Dead mans blood!" "Shut up!" I chuckled and glanced over at Adam. "You wanna meet back at the motel?" "No! Meet at the crime scene!" Dean yelled. We all meet up at the crime scene. Dean and Sam took a bus to get there. *Adam's POV* "Are we going in here or what?" I asked, already standing on the porch. Dean glared but headed up the walk anyway. I quickly picked the lock and stepped in under the police tape. I looked around the house but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. I found the stairs and jogged up, taking two at a time as I went. I passed all the guest rooms and the offices of the people that used to own the house, ignoring the boringness of the room as I went. I paused when I saw the master bedroom. French doors hanging slightly ajar as I looked at them. With a slow hand I reached out and pushed the doors the rest of the way open. What I saw scared the shit out of me. A giant blood stain was puddled on the side where the husband had slept; the blood black like it had been in the morgue. The giant bay window that was above the bed was cracked, a web of broken glass replacing the clear glass. But what scared me the most was the cracks that littered the walls. On all four walls, deep cracks shot towards the bed, all looking like stress marks. "Why is the wife selling this place again?" Dean asked as they came up the stairs. I let out a sigh. "Because, Dean, her husband died here," I answered. "Would you want to come home to a house that you knew someone had died in?" Dean let out a snort. "Hell no. The ghost could come back." "Yeah, well, besides that. There's too many memories for her here," I told him. "She would have to deal with knowing that she slept next to her dead husband for most of the night." "That is gross," Dean muttered before stopping in the doorway of the bedroom. He let out a low whistle. "He died bloody," he stated. I looked over my shoulder to shoot him a glare. "A little respect, please?" I asked with a hard tone. Dean's eyebrows shot up and he held his hands up in defense. "Sorry, didn't know you cared so much." I rolled my eyes and looked back to the walls. "Cracks," I said softly. I leaned closer to me with a raised eyebrow. "In the window?" he asked. I shook my head. "No, on the walls." I looked the room over but found no cracks on the wall, only perfect green paint. I told Dean this and got a small sigh in return. "It must be an effect from the Banshee," he whispered, keeping an eye on the guys as they looked the room over. "The cry must put a pressure on everything that's near her." "Then why didn't the wife hear it?" "Only the victim can hear the scream," Dean reminded me. "She wouldn't wake up from dry wall cracking." I nodded in consent. "That makes sense." "I don't see anything out of the ordinary," I stated, my expert eyes checking the room one more time. "Isn't that the point?" Dean asked quietly. "That nothing we do looks ordinary." *Mia's POV* The rest of the day had been a complete waste of time. We had spent hours rubbing over books that had no answers and called other hunters, seeing if they had ever killed something that couldn't be killed, none of them had. "Well, I'm hitting the hay," Dean said, stepping out of the bathroom in a T-shirt and boxer briefs. He shot me a triumphant smirk before he jumped onto the bed like a child would. "I'm going to sleep in clean sheets that smell like sunshine and dewy meadows," he said before shimmying under the covers and letting out a content sigh. "Goodnight, Winchesters." Adam gives me a kiss before he goes to bed. "Goodnight, Mia," the brothers said sleepily. A loud scream woke me up. My eyes snapped open, looking over at the boys. My friends were still sleeping. I jumped awake, my hands covering my ears as the scream continued. I curled up tighter, burying my head in my knees but that did little to muffle the scream. I wasn't aware that I, too, was screaming before the ear bleeding wail stopped and something was shaking my shoulder. I clamped my mouth shut and opened my eyes. "Mia," a firm, demanding voice said next to me. I raised my eyes and found Adam standing next to me, his eyes narrowed as he watched me breath heavily. "Hey, you alright?" he asked, his hand still on my shoulder, his fingers padding softly into my skin. "Why were you screaming?" I swallowed hard and shook my head. "Sorry, just, uh, bad dream," I explained, wishing my throat didn't hurt from the scream I had let out. "What was it about?" Sam asked, his voice thick with sleep. "Demons... Demons were attacking me and killing everyone I know." I shiver. At least that was a good lie. I'm still scared of demons. Of them attacking me. Add that to the list of fears I have every waking moment. "Oh baby…your ok…" Adam whispers, crawling into the bed next to me. He kisses me softly and I moan softly. "Baby…I love you." He whispers. "I know. I love you too." We kiss and he twirls my hair in his fingers. I rest my head against his chest and we smile. I close my eyes and fall asleep. When I woke up the next morning I had a splitting head ache and a sore throat. The dwarf in my lower back had either left or died a terrible death, I didn't really care which one. The others were already awake, moving about their way in an attempt to make something of their day. I laid still, My splitting headache working over the fact that I had been marked by the Banshee as the next victim. I had no idea how to banish the Banshee from thoughts so I had a fairly good feeling that I was going to die. I had come to terms with the fact that I would die doing what I did and at least I wasn't going to be eaten. My friends would probably just shed a few tears and get over it. They would just add my name to the body count. They'd move on with their hunting lives and I'd be dead, or at least a spirit. I don't think Adam would ever be the same. He'd be hunting down as many supernatural things until their all extinct, or at least only one or two left. He'd have another girlfriend, get married, have kids… I push the thought out of my head and sigh. Adam kisses my head and we get breakfast downstairs. I tell Adam what I experienced and we stayed in an uncomfortable silence. "Oh Adam…" I stifle a sob. "I'm not going to die on you. I promise." A bright smile crossed his lips. "Good. Now get up! We're pulling an all day research at the County Records." "We have to dress up to do that?" I questioned with a raised eyebrow. "We gotta look like feds." He replies, kissing me. I let out a groan as I crawled into the diner booth. My splitting headache had grown to a migraine that threatened to make me lash out irrationally. Once again we had spent our entire day researching something we knew nothing about. "That was a waste of time," I stated, sliding in next to Adam. "What did we learn?" "Nothing," I moaned, letting my head rest in my hands. Sam let out a sigh. "Well, we know the Banshee hasn't always been here," he stated, picking the menu up. "It came here just to kill the Stewart family." "So that means it's probably moved on to a new family and is out of the state," Dean said, sounding more than displeased that he had wasted a whole day on reading. "Trust me, the Banshee is still here." Adam shot a glance down at me sitting next to him, a concerned look on his face. "How do you know? Do you have some Banshee detector hidden up your skirt?" I huffed at that. I was about to reply when an overly perky waitress skipped up to us, a blinding smile on her lips. "What can I get you to start?" she asked with her pad and pen at the ready. Dean smiled up at her, that smile only reserved for those about to be laid. I knew him too well now. "Well..." he paused to read her name tag, "Dixie, I'll have a coffee, black." Dixie giggled lightly before looking at Sam. "Uh, I'll have the same," he said uneasily, slipping her a soft smile. She nodded and looked to me with a slightly deflated smile. "I will have a hot chocolate." She nodded, but looked annoyed. I just met her, and I can tell something's wrong with her. She doesn't like me. "Me too." Adam says, wrapping a protective arm around me. Dixie frowns, then smiles. "Coming right up." She walks away. Sam set his own menu down and rubbed his forehead in frustration. "How do you banish a Banshee from thought?" "If I knew I'd tell you," I said with the same monotone. "It might be like the Morton House? Those Tibetan monks or something." Dean stated, looking to his brother to be told that he was right. Sam shook his head. "Those were amplified prayers and Banshees are Irish." "Oh, right." The rest of the morning had gone smoothly, a slight argument here and there between Dean and Adam. Something about protecting me. Adam won. He defended that I need to be protected because of what happened at the Smith's house. It was really sweet. We all decided to get dressed in our Sunday Best, got breakfast and played straws to decide who had to do what. The waitress laughed as we made her hold the straws for us, telling us that we weren't the first people to make her do this. Dean and Sam ended up paired together to go to the Morgue while me and Adam were destined to talk to the relatives. "Make sure that you bring your buddy back with you," Sam said with a smile. "Because if only one of you comes back that defeats the purpose of the Buddy System." Adam rolled his eyes. "Please, I wouldn't leave her." Dean said walking towards the Impala before stopping. "Wait, you guys should take the Impala," Dean told Adam and me. Sam nodded. "Good thinking. That alright, Dean?" His brother grunted. He told him, tossing his keys. "See you in a few hours." "We're sorry to keep hounding you but our company is very careful with cases like this," Adam told the victim's wife as she grew more teary eyed. The woman nodded. "Okay." "Why don't you tell us what happened," I suggested from my spot on the couch. The woman took a deep breath before starting. "We were outside at one of those bestro things having dinner," she began. "We had just ordered desert when he started to scream. He knocked the table over and ran off," she told us with a sniff. "He came back home a few hours later saying that he had a migraine and that he was going to bed early. I stayed up to finish some work and I..." she trailed off, shaking her head. "When I went to bed I thought he was just sleeping but when I woke up the next morning he was-" she broke off with a sob. Adam got up and wrapped his arm around the woman's shoulder in a comforting way. *Dean's POV* "What's the C.O.D.?" I asked as me and Sammy followed the Coroner into the chilled room. "Well, I don't really know," he answered. "Eardrums were completely shredded and there was trauma to the brain but nothing that would have killed him," he explained, walking over to the wall of metal cabinets, opening one and pulling the shelf out to show the body. He pulled the sheet back and we both were surprised. "No autopsy?" Sam asked, looking at the unmarked skin of his chest. "Wife didn't want one," he answered. "Something about religion." I saw Sam's window of opportunity. With a sigh he took a step forward and looked him straight in the eye. "We have a reason to believe that there was foul play in this man's death and the wife is a suspect. We need you to do an autopsy," He told him with his best fed tone. The Coroner's eyes widened and he nodded quickly. "Yes, of course," he said before shuffling over to another table to get what he needed. "Foul play?" I whispered to him with a small smirk. He shrugged and smiled back. "I didn't hear you say anything," he whispered back. "You ready for this?" the Coroner asked, hovering the scalpel over the body. "Yep," we both said. He let out a sigh and sliced the skin open. All three of us jumped when blood shot into the air, showering them all with crimson liquid. Sam let out a groan. "Ah, come on," he grunted, stepping back to look down at himself. I swallowed hard and stared down at the body. The blood wasn't crimson to my eyes, it was black. The veins were a pitch black against the pink flesh of the body. 'If you ever hear the Banshee's cry, your blood will be the next to fly.' The old song floated through my head as the image of the blood flying replayed itself in my mind. I didn't actually think that the blood would fly. Ugh. Disgusting. "You okay there, Agent?" the Coroner asked, looking over at me with a raised eyebrow. I nodded slowly and let out a small laugh. "Yeah, just have a Blade moment," I lied, getting blank looks from the two. "The movie Blade? Vampires? The night club that has blood in it's sprinkling system?" I asked, trying to jog whatever memory there would be to jog. They shook their heads. I let out a disappointed sigh. "You're hopeless," I said before reaching up and wiping my face off the best I could. "Keep going." *Mia's POV* "Well, that was a bust," Adam stated when we climbed into the Impala. "I wonder if Dean and Sammy found something," Adam said, pulling out his phone. He hit speed dial 1 and waited. "Please tell me you've got something," Sam's voice said from the other side of the phone with an annoyed voice. Adam sighed and dropped his head back against the seat rest. "No, just a lot of crying and repeat of what we already knew," he told him. "What happened to you?" Sam let out a sigh of his own. "We got a blood bath from the corps, literally." "A blood bath?" Adam asked. "What do you mean by-" "Cut into the corpse and his blood went everywhere. Drenched everyone. Dean looks like he went at someone with a chainsaw," he said with a smile in his voice. "I'll go at you with a chainsaw!" Dean yelled from the background. "Dead mans blood, Deany-Beany!" he yelled. "Dead mans blood!" "Shut up!" I chuckled and glanced over at Adam. "You wanna meet back at the motel?" "No! Meet at the crime scene!" Dean yelled. We all meet up at the crime scene. Dean and Sam took a bus to get there. *Sam's POV* "Are we going in here or what?" I asked, already standing on the porch. Dean glared but headed up the walk anyway. I quickly picked the lock and stepped in under the police tape. I looked around the house but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. I found the stairs and jogged up, taking two at a time as I went. I passed all the guest rooms and the offices of the people that used to own the house, ignoring the boringness of the room as I went. I paused when I saw the master bedroom. French doors hanging slightly ajar as I looked at them. With a slow hand I reached out and pushed the doors the rest of the way open. What I saw scared the shit out of me. A giant blood stain was puddled on the side where the husband had slept; the blood black like it had been in the morgue. The giant bay window that was above the bed was cracked, a web of broken glass replacing the clear glass. But what scared me the most was the cracks that littered the walls. On all four walls, deep cracks shot towards the bed, all looking like stress marks. "Why is the wife selling this place again?" Dean asked as we came up the stairs. I let out a sigh. "Because, Dean, her husband died here," I answered, slightly annoyed. "Would you want to come home to a house that you knew someone had died in?" Dean let out a snort. "Hell no. The ghost could come back." "Yeah, well, besides that. There's too many memories for her here," I told him. "She would have to deal with knowing that she slept next to her dead husband for most of the night." "That is gross," Dean muttered before stopping in the doorway of the bedroom. He let out a low whistle. "He died bloody," he stated. I looked over my shoulder to shoot him a glare. "A little respect, please?" I asked with a hard tone. Dean's eyebrows shot up and he held his hands up in defense. "Sorry, didn't know you cared so much." I rolled my eyes and looked back to the walls. "Cracks," I said softly. He leaned closer to me with a raised eyebrow. "In the window?" he asked. I shook his head. "No, on the walls." I looked the room over but found no cracks on the wall, only perfect green paint. I told Dean this and got a small sigh in return. "It must be an effect from the Banshee," he whispered, keeping an eye on the guys as they looked the room over. "The cry must put a pressure on everything that's near her." "Then why didn't the wife hear it?" "Only the victim can hear the scream," Dean reminded me. "She wouldn't wake up from dry wall cracking." I nodded in consent. "That makes sense." "I don't see anything out of the ordinary," I stated, my expert eyes checking the room one more time. "Isn't that the point?" Dean asked quietly. "That nothing we do looks ordinary." *Mia's POV* The rest of the day had been a complete waste of time. We had spent hours rubbing over books that had no answers and called other hunters, seeing if they had ever killed something that couldn't be killed, none of them had. "Well, I'm hitting the hay," Dean said, stepping out of the bathroom in a T-shirt and boxer briefs. He shot me a triumphant smirk before he jumped onto the bed like a child would. "I'm going to sleep in clean sheets that smell like sunshine and dewy meadows," he said before shimmying under the covers and letting out a content sigh. "Goodnight, Winchesters." Adam gives me a kiss before he goes to bed. "Goodnight, Mia," the brothers said sleepily. A loud scream woke me up. My eyes snapped open, looking over at the boys. My friends were still sleeping. I jumped awake, my hands covering my ears as the scream continued. I curled up tighter, burying my head in my knees but that did little to muffle the scream. I wasn't aware that I, too, was screaming before the ear bleeding wail stopped and something was shaking my shoulder. I clamped my mouth shut and opened my eyes. "Mia," a firm, demanding voice said next to me. I raised my eyes and found Adam standing next to me, his eyes narrowed as he watched me breath heavily. "Hey, you alright?" he asked, his hand still on my shoulder, his fingers padding softly into my skin. "Why were you screaming?" I swallowed hard and shook my head. "Sorry, just, uh, bad dream," I explained, wishing my throat didn't hurt from the scream I had let out. "What was it about?" Sam asked, his voice thick with sleep. "Demons... Demons were attacking me and killing everyone I know." I shiver. At least that was a good lie. I'm still scared of demons. Of them attacking me. Add that to the list of fears I have every waking moment. "Oh baby…your ok…" Adam whispers, crawling into the bed next to me. He kisses me softly and I smile softly. "Baby…I love you." He whispers. "I know. I love you too." We kiss and he twirls my hair in his fingers. I rest my head against his chest and we smile. I close my eyes and fall asleep. When I woke up the next morning I had a splitting head ache and a sore throat. The dwarf in my lower back had either left or died a terrible death, I didn't really care which one. The others were already awake, moving about their way in an attempt to make something of their day. I laid still, a splitting head working over the fact that I had been marked by the Banshee as the next victim. I had no idea how to banish the Banshee from thoughts so I had a fairly good feeling that I was going to die. I had come to terms with the fact that I would die doing what I did and at least I wasn't going to be eaten. Well, they would just add my name to the body count. Bobby would have them burn my body at the salvage yard, a proper hunting farewell. They would shed a few tears, say a few kind words and move on with their lives. It would be like I had never existed. "So, what do we go as?" "We gotta look like feds." I let out a groan as I crawled into the diner booth. My splitting headache had grown to a migraine that threatened to make me lash out irrationally and made me want to punch someone in the throat. Once again we had spent their entire day researching something we knew nothing about. Sam was reading. Me and Adam on the other hand spent our time shooting each other glares and rather childish faces and kissing. "That was a waste of time," I said annoyed. "What did we learn?" "Nothing," I moaned, letting my head rest in my hands. Sam let out a sigh. "Well, we know the Banshee hasn't always been here," he stated, picking the menu up. "It came here just to kill the McAdam family." "So that means it's probably moved on to a new family and is out of the state," Dean said, sounding more than displeased that he had wasted a whole day on reading. "Trust me, the Banshee is still here." I replied. "How do you know? Do you have some Banshee detector hidden up your skirt?" I was about to lean over and punch him, when an overly perky waitress skipped up to us, a blinding smile on her lips. Something in her smile wanted me to throw a plate at her face. "What can I get you to start?" she asked with her pad and pen at the ready. Dean smiled up at her, that smile only reserved for those about to be laid. "Well..." he paused to read her name tag, "Dixie, I'll have a coffee, black." Dixie giggled lightly before looking at Sam. "Uh, I'll have the same," he said uneasily, slipping her a soft smile. She nodded and looked to me with a slightly deflated smile. Adam wrapped his arm around my waist, giving me a kiss on the lips. Something flashes in Dixie's eyes. "I will have a hot chocolate, please." Dixie nodded and look at Adam, smiling brightly than ever before. "Make it two hot chocolates, please." "I'll be right back with that," she informed us before skipping off. Sam set his own menu down and rubbed his forehead in frustration. "How do you banish a Banshee from thought?" "If we knew we'd tell you," I said along with Adam in the same monotone. "It might be like the Morton House? Those Tibetan monks or something." Dean stated, looking to his brother to be told that he was right. Sam shook his head. "Those were amplified prayers and Banshees are Irish." Dean pulled a child's face and turned away, muttering under his breath. "Maybe the person needs to meditate or something. You know, clear the mind of everything around them," Adam suggested. I let out a snort. "I'm not doing any of that self help yoga crap," I told Adam. Sam's eyebrows furrowed. "Why would you need to do it?" he asked, looking down at me. "What?" "You said you weren't going to do the self help yoga crap," Sam stated. "No I didn't." "Yes you did." "No I didn't." "Yes you did." "No, Sammy, I didn't." "Yes you did." "You're hearing things." "No I'm not." "You must be." "I'm not hearing things." "Pretty sure you are." "Well, I'm not." "You sure?" "Yes." "Positive?" "Yes." "Are you sure you know the muffin man?" "Yes!" I went silent as I waited for what I had said to sink into his brain. "Wait- what?" We all laughed, even Dean. "Admit it, Sammy, she got you," Dean said, clapping his brother on the shoulder. Sam turned a deep red and glared down at me and he sighed. "You're trying to change the subject," he accused. "Well, I don't want to know every scandalous detail about your affair with the muffin man," I stated with a more than bored tone. "I mean, me and my razor have been going strong for two freaking years now but you don't hear me spilling every detail of my self harm there, princess." I say annoyed. The boys were shocked into silence. After we're done, I talk to Adam. "Alright, we need to tell Bobby," I stated, getting Adam to groan. "Don't drag him into this," He pleaded. "He has enough worries." I shook my head and pulled out my Iphone. "We have been here for two days and we have jack shit. If anyone can find a way to kill the bitch it's Bobby," I said before pushing my first speed dial and holding it to my ear. 'This is Bobby Singer.' "Hey, Bobby, it's Mia." 'Hey, honey, how's it going?' I let out a sigh. "Could be better. We need your help with a Banshee case." 'Banshee? An actual Banshee?' "Yeah, and Mia managed to get herself marked as a victim. She's heard the scream once." 'That ijit! Okay, let me look up something, I have an idea.' We waited as the sound of rustling papers filled the speaker. "You are so dead after this," Adam whispered to me. "I told you not to bother him." 'Here it is. Alright, uh, you can't kill a Banshee but you can put a stop to it screaming.' "Awesome, so how do you do that?" I asked, perking up with the idea of killing something. 'You gotta chop it's head off and put it in a hex box then put it somewhere no one will ever find it. I actually have one of those in the upstairs closet that you can have if you manage to get the head off.' "Thanks, Bobby," Adam sighed. "Can we cut it off with anything?" 'As far as I know.' "Cool, alright, I'll call you when everything is settle, okay?" 'Just be careful you ijits.' He hung up on me and I took the phone from my ear. "Sweet," Adam said, looking over at me with a bright smile. "All we have to do is chop it's head off and put it in one of Bobby's hex boxes," I explained, bouncing slightly. Adam seemed impressed by that and nodded slowly. "Think we can get rid of it tonight?" I asked. "I don't see why not," He answered before wincing. "What about your brothers?" "They're going to be a problem," I agreed. "Think we should just tell them?" Adam let out a sigh and nodded. "Yeah, I don't think we can pull this off without their help." "Fine, let's grab something sharp and head back inside." The boys were silent as they let it all soak in. The long and dragged out explanation of how I had been marked was more than silencing and a little maddening. "Why didn't you tell us?" Dean demanded, looking at me with a heavy glare. I shifted a little from my spot on the floor. "It just happened last night," I explained. "I was hoping we could handle this without you guys finding out." "Why?" "Because you idiot, she thought she was going to die," Adam stated. "If she had told you that she was the next victim that would have distracted you from the hunt and things would have moved slower." I could tell that made sense to the brothers but that didn't mean they had to like it. "Fine, just chop it's head off, right?" Dean asked, reaching towards his duffel bag to grab his machete. Adam nodded. "Yeah, there's just, uh, one problem," he said with a nervous chuckle. "What?" Sam groaned. "Only Mia can see the Banshee and when she sees the Banshee it's screaming at her and when it's screaming at her she cant move." Sam let out a sigh and rubbed his forehead. "Okay, uh, she'll just have to tell us where the Banshee is standing and we'll just...take a wild swing at it." I let out a humorless laugh. "That makes me feel real safe." "Hey! You're the one that got yourself in this situation, so no complaining!" Dean snapped, pointing a finger at me. Adam cleared his throat and wrapped a protective arm around me, getting our attention. "Well, actually it isn't her fault." All three of us waited for him to go deep into explanation. "She's not a part of our family. The Banshee only only goes after people who are not a part of a bloodline." "So, we need that box, right?" he asked, looking to Adam. He nodded. "It's the only thing that will keep the Banshee down." "Then don't you think we should have the box before we chop the head off?" Adam let out a curse. "You're right." "Just drive up there, get the box and come back," I muttered, twisting an unraveled strand of carpet around my finger. "It's not like we have any other choice." "It's at least a days drive, Mia. You could die before we get back," Sam pointed out, speaking gently, trying not to scare me. "And we know that it likes to play with her food so I doubt she'll try and kill me now," she stated, looking up to Dean with a knowing look. He let out a defeated sigh and nodded. "She's right, we should go get the box." "Alright, we'll pack up and head out," Sam said, getting up. "I should stay here, keep the Banshee in a controlled area, away from others she might find," I stated. Sam shook his head. "You're not staying here by yourself, Mia." "I'll stay with her," Adam offered. "You two hurry up and get back as soon as you can." The two nodded before packing up a few things and heading out. *An hour later* Adam fell asleep. He said he was tired, so I allowed him to take a nap. I shuffled soundlessly to the door and slipped out, closing it with a small click. I wasn't going to go anywhere that would endanger my life, well, anymore than it already was, I just wanted out of that damn motel room. I stopped at the edge of the pool, looking down at the moon reflected in the water surface. The crystal clear liquid was completely smooth, almost like a mirror just more breakable. With a deep breath I dropped down to my butt, my knees pulled to my chest as I rested my head on top of them. My head snapped up when I heard the rasped voice. My breath caught in my throat when I saw the white figure standing on the other side of the pool, it's cloak blowing in an unfelt wind. I jumped to my feet, ready to run before the pressure landed on my whole body. My hands clapped over my ears and I curled in on myself, my knees faltering. I let out a scream of my own when my foot fell off the edge of the pool and I tumbled into the pool. *Adam's POV* I jumped awake when I heard a loud scream and a splash. I shot up and looked over to Sam's bed, the last place I had seen Mia, and found it empty. With a racing heart and my pearl inlaid hand gun clutched tightly, I raced out of the motel room, taking hurried by cautious steps towards the now rippling pool. I gave a quick surveillance before squinting down at the water, trying to see if anything was there, anything not normal. A curse fell from my lips when I saw Mia at the bottom, her arms and legs spread like a star, looking too much like the drowning victims from those CSI shows. Dropping my gun to the cement I dove into the water, kicking down to Mia and wrapping my arms around her waist. I pushed off the rough surface and broke the surface, swimming to the side and hoisting myself up before pulling Mia up next to me. Once I rolled her onto her back I found that she wasn't breathing, her chest remaining horribly still. I couldn't let her die. I love her too much. Bracing my hand against her chest I performed the crudest CPR anyone had ever seen. 12345. Breathe. 12345. Breathe. 12345. Breathe. 12345. Breathe. I had lost track of how many times I had pumped her chest or forced air down her throat but when a lung hacking cough escaped her and let out a heavy sigh. She rolled to her side, water spilling from her lips onto the ground, her whole body shivering. I reached out and pounded on her back, helping what little water still remained in her to come up, leaving her a shivering mess on the concrete. "Mia?" I asked softly. "You okay?" Mia coughed a few more times before rolling onto her back. "I don't feel so good," she groaned out with a small cough. She twitched a little as she continued to shake, her eyes half hooded. "Better get you inside," I muttered before slipping my arms under her and lifting her up bridal style. I headed towards the motel and went straight to the bathroom. I set her down into the tub and turned the shower on so the water was scalding. Dad had done this when a lake demon pulled me into a lake in the middle of December. I watched her shiver under the water before remembering that she was still fully clothed. Even if it wasn't late September that was still dangerous for someone completely healthy. "Mia, we need to get you out of your wet clothes, okay? You'll get sick." She nodded numbly and unwrapped her arms from around herself. I crouched in front of her, my fingers going to the buttons on her white Fed shirt, trying to ignore the fact that I could see her black lace bra through the cotton fabric. I peeled it away from her before looking to her black slacks. Her still shaking fingers undid the button and zipper, pushing them passes her waist and to her knees. She raised her legs and allowed me to pull them the rest of the way off, leaving her in the matching underwear that came with the bra. I almost wanted to smile and kiss her, but I held myself back. Her arms wrapped around her once again, her half closed eyes staying on me. "You're shaking," she stated, her voice rough and still chattered. I looked down and found that I, in fact, was shaking. With a sigh I pulled my shirt off, my jeans following after, not seeming to care that Mia was watching me. I smiled and blushed a little bit as I stepped into the tub and settled down in the space next to my beautiful blonde girlfriend, a little more cramped than she was but managed just fine. I relaxed against the tile wall with a sigh, letting the water work magic on my freezing skin. "Better than Magic Fingers," I muttered. A breathy chuckle left Mia, a small smile touching her lips. "I think...Magic Fingers would make me...sick right now," she stated, her head lulling to the side till it landed on my stomach. I carefully wrapped my arms around her. I looked down at her with worried eyes. "Does it hurt?" I asked, not seeing how I could have missed an injury, but you never knew with the supernatural. She took in a deep breath. "I...I feel like I've been in...a microwave," she breathed. "Like I'm just ready to...pop." "You're not going to...die, right?" I asked. "I honestly...don't know." She swallowed hard. "But to be safe...maybe you shouldn't...poke me with...anything." I didn't know what to do for Mia. I could stitch any wound, patch up any injury but I didn't know what to do about this. So I took in a deep breath and I did the only thing I knew would work. 'Castiel, angel in heaven, I call upon you in my time of need. I have my beautiful blonde girlfriend next to me that just went toe-to-toe with a Banshee and she is scaring the shit out of me. So would you please come down here and-' "Adam." I jumped when Castiel appeared in front of them, trench coat and everything. "Cas, thank God," I said. "Can you do something about..." I trailed off to gesture to Mia, who was looking more and more like she was going to pass out. A peaceful smile spread across her lips, and I was worried at any moment she might pass out on me. Castiel crouched down in front of the tub and looked directly at Mia. He studied her for a moment before looking back to me. "The Banshee has broken it's pattern. It has attempted to kill Mia and it will not stop until she is dead." I looked back down to the girl on my shoulder. "That's fine and dandy but can you do something to, I don't know, make her normal again-" I asked before catching myself. "Well, normal for Mia." "Of course," Castiel said before reaching a hand out to touch his finger to her forehead. A gasp escaped her and she suddenly straightened up, her eyes wide and alert. Her breathing was gasps as she took in everything around her. Her eyes moved from the shower to Cas and then to the nearly naked Adam Milligan. *Mia's POV* Adam probably expected me to scream or hit him, call him a pervert for trying to seduce me or something, but instead I just laughed. "I don't understand. Did I say something humorous?" Castiel asked, his forehead puckered. "Not that I know of," Adam stated, watching me like I was insane. "What the heck are you laughing at?" I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "I'm in my underwear and bra, in the shower, with a Winchester, who just so happens to be my boyfriend, with an angel staring at me." I said with a bright smile. "Can this night get anymore messed up?" Adam couldn't help but smile at that, surprised that me being in the shower with him was what I counted as messed up. I took a few more deep breaths before wincing. "Why do my ribs hurt?" I asked before looking down at my bare abdomen. My eyes widened when I saw the already fading fist sized bruise on my stomach. "Wait..." I trailed off, my head shooting up to look at Adam. "Thank you, for saving me." Adam smiled smugly. "What can I say? I'm Batman." I shook my head and wrapped my towel around me, covering all the bits that should be covered. I stood there for a moment, rolling back and forth on my heels, looking like I wanted to say something. "Thank you, you know, for saving me," I said fidgeting like a little kid. "I owe you," I stated kissing him warmly. It was awkward because of me and him being in the shower together, but eventually he kissed back. I pull away and walk out of the room. "She kissed me." I sigh happily, looking to the angel with raised eyebrows. "Yes." the angel answered before reaching out to touch my forehead. I took in a sharp breath when I suddenly felt perfect and the miracle shower was sort of annoying. I shut it off and got to my feet, grabbing the other towel that was on the rack and wrapping it around my waist. "Thanks, Cas, for her and me." "Of course, we need you both in perfect health," he told me before disappearing. I ran a hand over my eyes before walking out into the room. *Mia's POV* My ribs ached when I woke the next morning, or afternoon. I couldn't believe I slept for that long. Besides the ache in my chest everything else felt amazing. I rolled myself to the side to look over at Adam, my amazing boyfriend. After the bad dream last night I hoped he had managed to get a decent nights sleep. A small smile twisted on my lips when I saw him laying on his stomach with his head turned towards me, to the right. His face was relaxed and a new calm over his face. He looked peaceful. I decided to chalk it up to the fact that he was the only thing standing between me and the Banshee when it came to get me later that night. Plus I still owed him for saving my ass from drowning. I rolled onto my back and pushed myself up into a sitting position. I threw my legs over the side and looked over at Adan, making sure my movements hadn't woken him and moved to the bathroom. I had grabbed my bag on the way, setting it on the counter before closing the door. I found some low level dinner, something everyone in their group had a talent for finding, and ordered two breakfast specials, the waitress giving me an odd look when I did. I gave the girl a rather generous tip, knowing that the poor thing made less than I did, and that was saying something. I bumped the motel door open with my hip, balancing the tray of hot chocolate in one had, two white bags in the other while a small bag was clenched between my teeth. I kicked the door closed and headed to the small table, my arms held out at my sides to keep my balance. Once everything was safely on the table I grabbed my hot chocolate and lifted it to my lips. *Adam's POV* I woke to a loud 'fucking hell!' Pushing myself up from the bed I looked over to the small table, finding Mia pulling her shirt away from her, a small brown stain running down it. I watched her carefully peel her shirt off, cursing softly when the stain touched any skin. She let the shirt drop to the ground, leaving her in her white lace bra as she dug through the bag for a new shirt. She found a black v-neck in her bag and she quickly slipped the shirt on. "Morning Adam." She said, giving me a quick kiss. "I got breakfast and hot chocolate," she told me, swooping down to grab the forgotten shirt. "How the hell do you get hot chocolate out of clothes?" she muttered, walking into he bathroom and throwing it into the sink. I glanced over my shoulder at her when she let out another curse, hunched over the sink as she attempted to get the small stream of hot chocolate out of her shirt. I walked over to her and wrapped my arms around her, rubbing just below her heart. "It's ok. We'll get another one." "I love you Adam." I smiled. "I love you too." I planted my lips onto hers passionately. *Dean's POV* It was four by the time we made it to Bobby's, breaking every speed limit and several red lights along the way. I jerked the Impala to a stop and rushed up to the porch, I opened the door, my head snapping around in search of Bobby. "Bobby!" I yelled. "We're here for the box!" "Here, here," Bobby said, jogging down the stairs, holding a medium sized black box with white symbols carved into the sides. "This should do the trick," he said, holding the box out to me. "Tell that idjit that it'll be her head in the box next time if this happens again," he said as I hugged Bobby and backing up towards the door. "Thank you, Bobby!" I yelled, pretty much running now. "I'll call you when the bitch is dead, either of them!" I called, climbing back into the Impala, Sam in the drivers seat now. I waved out the window as Sam pulled away from the house. "I think that's the shortest visit I've ever had," Sam stated, a small smile on his lips. "Yeah. Come on, lets get back before something happens." *Mia's POV* "Hey, Adam?" I asked, my voice almost inaudible. "Yeah?" I hesitated, the words working themselves out in my head. "If the Banshee comes...you won't let her kill me...right?" I didn't know why I was so worried about the Banshee killing me. I knew that I wasn't going to die anytime soon, and that I was more than likely to live through this little episode of my own personal Twilight Zone. I reasoned with myself that it always helped to have backup and that was all Adam was, a little backup in case Dean and Sam didn't get there in time for me to save myself. Adam didn't hesitate though, the answer coming from his lips without missing a beat. "That evil bitch isn't going to touch you," he promised, his tone surprisingly strong and firm. I nodded against my pillow, telling myself that I would take the answer and try to have some kind of comfort from it. I knew that when a Winchester made a promise to keep someone alive that that somebody usually stayed alive and well for many years. "My brothers would kill me if you die and I don't think I could handle them at the moment," he added after a moment of silence. "I love you too much to let you go." I smile in the pillow. *Dean's POV* Sam glanced over at me as my lips moved in a slow sort of mumble, too low for him to make out any words. I had been that way ever since I had checked up on Mia and Adam couldn't help but notice the new mood that had fallen over my road trip buddy. "Something wrong?" he asked, knowing that if he didn't I would just get worse and worse, something Jessica had done several times, making Sam suffer the consequences. I pulled my attention away from the box in my hands, my lips coming together again in a loose line. "No more than usual," I answered, my voice with a slight edge. Sam nodded, knowing where I was going with it. He was worried about his little sister (As I liked to call her,) and Mia didn't seem to give a crap. Dean had been that way a few weeks before his deal was up, acting like he could care less if he lived or died, it was only important to Sam and that was why his brother put up with it; because he wanted Sammy to be happy. "Mia's going to be okay," he told me for what felt like the millionth time. "Oh, I know she's going to be alright," I said, holding a hand out in a dismissive gesture. "It's the way she's acting about this that has me concerned." Sam glanced at me then back to the road a couple of times. "Acting like what?" he asked. "Like she is going to be fine." "But she is." "True, but Mia doesn't know that," I countered. "I'm just worried for her. She's like my little sister. I have to protect her. It's not her fault Crowley attacked her. That bitch attacked a sweet girl and she's died twice. Well, now almost three times because the Banshee marked her as her next victim. I mean, she self harms! We can't protect her forever! What if she goes off the deep end and tries to kill herself? What if she succeeds?" I ask, my voice thick with sadness. Sam looks at me and slams his fist against the glass window and glares at me again. "She will not die, Dean! We will make sure of it!" "Ok, ok. We will." He relaxes slightly. *Mia's POV* I wasn't sure what woke me but I was glad that it did. I had shifted to my side and somehow got my arm around Adam's chest, under his arm. What shocked me the most was the fact that Adam had gripped my hand, pressing it to his chest. I tried to pull my hand away but Adam's grip was steel tight and he didn't let go. I let out a sigh and relaxed back against the the bed, surprised how close I was to him. My face nearly buried in his back. I clearly had made the first move in this new sleeping position, seeing as he was still on his side of the bed. I closed my eyes and waited for the dark abyss but felt a spine chilling shiver instead. I rose to my elbow, looking the room over for any signs of the thing that wanted me dead. The shiver became a constant, getting me whole body to shake. I hated to admit it but I couldn't handle the Banshee a third time. Looking down at Dean she used the hand he gripped to shake him awake. "Adam, Adam, wake up," I whispered, leaning closer to him. "Adam!" He jumped awake, a small grunt leaving him when he realized it was me. "What's wrong?" he asked, his voice thick with sleep. "I have that evil-thing-is-lurking-in-the-shadows-waiting-to-kill-you feeling, majorly," I told him, my voice a shaky whisper. He took a moment to fully wake up, taking in my shaking frame and wide eyes. "Do you see it?" he questioned as he reached under the pillow for his pearl handled gun. I shook my head and scooted closer to him, surprisingly feeling better now that he was armed. "Not yet." "Okay, here's what we do," he said softly, keeping calm so she would to. "You're going to lay back down and tell me if you see anything and I'll shoot at it, all right?" "In the motel? Someone will hear," I whispered back, a little panicked. "You got a better idea?" I watched him for a moment before laying down again, shaking against the mattress as I darted I eyes around the room. "Come here," Adam said, rolling to his back and holding his arm open for her. I hesitated for a moment before rolling into his side, my face burying in his chest for a moment before moving to look up at him. "You got me covered, right?" I asked. I hated the fact that I sounded weak and worried. Adams grip tightened around me and kissed the top of my head. "Nothing will touch you." He answered. I smiled into Adam's shirt, cheering in my head at the thought of being safe. But, another part of me was glad I was going to die. At least I would die protecting my boyfriend. I propped my chin on Adam's chest and scanned the room, searching for the bitch that wanted me dead. Something outside the window caught my attention, a flutter of white. "I think she's here," I whispered, my eyes locked on the door, waiting for her to walk through. "Where?" Adam whispered back, his grip tightening on his gun. "The door." He raised his gun level with the door and waited, his breathing shallow. "Tell me when." I locked my jaw and willed the Banshee to step through the door so Adam could blow a hole through her head. 'O'Conner' I jumped a little when the name was whispered into my ear. 'Kalin O'Conner' Was that her name? Kalin O'Conner? "Mia, you see her?" Adam asked, glancing over at me with a worried look. I could only shake my head. 'I've been looking for you, Kalin O'Conner.' Fuck. I knew this wouldn't end well. 'You're going to bleed for me, O'Conner.' "Mia, come on, is she here or what?" Adam demanded, noticing how I was shaking again. I blinked a few times, my vision coming back into focus and froze. I saw the white cloaked figure standing by the door. "She's just staring at me," I said, my voice almost inaudible. "Where is she?" Adam asked, his gun still raised. "She's by the door but she hasn't moved." Adam raised the gun to where he assumed the Banshee was standing. "Can I shoot her?" "You can try." Adam went to pull the trigger but something stopped him, a sudden pressure on his hand causing it to shake slightly. "The hell?" My eyes widened. "She doesn't have to scream to apply pressure," I stated before I was suddenly pushed off the side of the bed. "Mia!" Adam yelled before his whole body was pushed to the bed, unable to move. I pushed myself to my knees, looking to the Banshee with a narrowed eyed glare. "Playing with your prey?" I asked, my tone full of mock. 'He does not need to die, O'Conner, just you.' "Then kill me, just leave him alone," I stressed, holding my arms out to my sides. "Go ahead, finish me off." 'As you wish.' The pressure reached me before the scream did. I crumpled to the ground, my hands clapped to her ears in an attempt to muffle the scream. My mouth hung open in a scream that never made it up my throat. *Dean's POV* A shiver went down my spine and my stomach churned. "Somethings wrong," I stated, looking over to Sam with wide eyes. "Somethings wrong with Mia." Sam didn't bother to ask how I knew something was wrong, it was a feeling he got whenever Adam or Mia are in serious trouble. "Call her," he instructed as he pressed harder on the gas pedal, shooting us forward through the dark. I bit my lip and shook my head, pulling my phone away from my ear when I got Mia's voice mail. "She's not answering," I said before punching in Adam's number. I bounced in my seat as I waited but nearly threw my phone when his voice mail popped up also. "Dammit! Where are they?" Sam glanced down at his watch. "We're almost there." "No, no we're not! We're two hours away! What are we going to do?" I yelled, on the verge of a break down. Sam opened his mouth to tell me to calm down when I cut him off. "If you tell me to calm down, I will shove my phone down your throat and throw you out this car!" I threatened, pointing a finger at him. Sam didn't speak. I let out a shaky breath and wrung my fingers together, thinking of something-anything I could do. When the idea slapped me in the face, I scrunched my eyes closed and clapped my hands together. 'Dear Castiel, thou art in heaven, I have a terrible feeling. Please, please just make sure Mia and Adam are safe. Please...protect them.' "Dean, is something wrong?" I jumped when the voice of Castiel spoke from the backseat. I spun around and found him in all his greatness, tan trench coat and all. "Cas, you have to do something! Mia and Adam aren't answering their phones and I have the We're-going-to-be-one-brother-short-and-Mia-might-be-injured-or-worse feeling!" I yelled, my eyes wide and voice filled with panic. Castiel watched me for a moment before disappearing. I let out a long sigh and slumped back into my seat, relief flooding me. "Thank God for angels," I muttered, a small smile on my lips. Sam raised an eyebrow down at me, a little surprised. "What?" I asked, raising my own eyebrow. "Nothing, I've just never heard you say that before." "Never mind." I said. "Keep driving." *Adam's POV* I struggled against the Banshee's hold, trying to see if Mia was dead or alive. The room was eerily quiet, too quiet for someone who was being tortured a few feet away from me. My eyes were searching the room for any sign of the Banshee I found nothing that suggested danger. *Mia's point of view* I lay with my face buried in the carpet as I choked on my own scream, my fingers becoming sticky with the blood that was leaking from my ears. The pain that swept through my body kept me from doing anything about saving myself, all I could think about was when it would end. The scream vibrated everything around me, the glass in the windows cracking while the plaster in the ceiling did the same. My vision started to dot, the room disappearing in circles as I got closer and closer to giving up. All the years that I had fought to keep myself alive, all those years of abuse, finally took a toll on me. There had been a lot of close calls with with death, and some of the close calls went into full on death, but I had never felt like giving in. I had never sensed my time of dying until now. The words of the Reaper came into play as I ground myself into the carpet. Swung! The scream died out with a gurgle before the sound of a body hitting the ground reached our ears. *Adam's POV* I jerked up as soon as the pressure disappeared. I sat up straight, ready for a fight when I saw Castiel standing over a lump of white, a woman's head with long blood red hair a few feet away, the angel sword gleaming with black blood. "Cas?" I asked, a little surprised to see the angel there. He looked over at me before reaching down to grab the Banshee's head. "You should see to Mia before I return, she looks...as you say, like hell," he said before disappearing. I scrambled to the other side of the bed and looked down at Mia. I sucked in a deep breath when he saw Mia curled up on the floor, her hands and face covered with blood from her ears. She was shaking just like last time but she didn't seem coherent. "Mia?" I asked, crawling off to crouch beside her. I reached out slowly and gripped her shoulder, putting a little pressure to roll her on her back. I jumped when a small scream escaped her. *Dean's POV* "Open the box." The two of us jumped when Castiel appeared in the backseat, a bloody Banshee head clutched in his hands. I grabbed the box and lifted the lid, holding it out to him. The blood red hair went in first before the severed head did, I slamming the lid shut and fastening the latch. "So, that's it?" I asked, looking down at the box like it held the plague. "The Banshee is dead." "What about Mia?" I demanded, reaching out to grab his arm so he couldn't leave. "Is she alright?" "She's alive, if that's what you mean," he answered. "Is she going to stay that way?" "Yes...would you like me to take you to her?" I shot a glance at Sam before nodding. Castiel gripped the seat and soon we were sitting in the motel parking lot, the engine of the Impala still running. Both me and Sammy were slightly dazed, the sensation of teleportation playing havoc on our stomachs. I was the first to recover, my hands shakily opening the car door and flying out, heading to the motel door. I heard Sam and Castiel behind me. I threw open the door and stepped in, my eyes searching frantically for my friend and brother when I saw Adam couched between the two beds. I rushed over and found him hovering over a bleeding Mia. "Oh my God, Mia!" I yelped, dropped down next to her, reaching out to touch her. "Don't!" Adam snapped, catching my wrist before I could lay a finger on her. "It hurts when she moves," he told me. My eyes narrowed as I looked back to Castiel. "Why haven't you healed her, Cas?" I demanded. "I took care of the Banshee first," he answered before stepping forward, gently pushing both Adam and me out of the way so he could take our places. He reached out and pressed his fingers against the shaking girl's forehead, instantly healing her. Mia gasped and pushed herself up. Her hand went to her mouth as she crawled towards the bathroom, Adam on her heels. She hunched over the toilet and dry heaved, her whole body arcing from the effort. Adam gathered her hair and held it at the base of her neck, keeping it away from the water. "Look at Adam, taking care of his girlfriend. How sweet." I comment. "Yeah. Dammit, they should get married." Sam says, chuckling slightly. "And maybe they could have lots and lots of babies." I grin. "Then we could be uncles and find some fine looking women of our own." I smirk. "You know we can hear you, right?" Mia's slightly wheezy voice spoke from the bathroom. We both looked over and found the two walking into the room. Mia still looked like she had been dragged through hell, even though the blood was now gone and she wasn't shaking. Adam looked alert and tired at the same time, clearly having stayed up later than he should have, protecting his girlfriend. *Mia's POV* "So, the bitch is dead?" I asked, looking down at the body of the Banshee. Castiel nodded. "Yes, the Banshee is dead." "Well, what the hell took you so long?" I demanded, newfound anger bubbling up. "I was bleeding from my ears! From my ears, Cassey!" The angel flinched slightly. "You are alive, that is all that matters," he stated in the monotone voice of his. "I shall dispose of the body," he said before walking over to said body, grabbing it and disappearing. I glared at the spot Castiel had been before turning to Sammy. "Why do we like him?" He shrugged, a small smile on his lips. "He's...well, he's like that special kid you just can't help but love." I couldn't help but chuckle at that, shaking my head slightly as I moved to collapse on the bed me and Adam had been sharing little less than an hour ago. "Can we please just sleep?" I asked, my voice muffled by the pillow. Sam chose that time to let out a long yawn, the hours of endless driving catching up with him. Dean smiled up at him before nodding. "Yeah. Let's get some sleep." We sat in the surprisingly well kept diner, we attention on the laminated menus in front of them, our slightly fried minds trying to decide what we wouldn't mind eating. They were dressed in their normal clothes, the guys in jeans, T-Shirts and button up shirts, while I was dressed in black skinny jeans, concert T-Shirts and a messy pony tail. Our morning had been slow, everyone in our group moving at a slug pace as they made themselves look human. I rolled my head over to look at my boyfriend. "What are you getting?" I asked, my voice still slightly thick from sleep. Adam grunted and let out a sigh. "I was thinking about the chicken cordon blue skillet," He answered, reaching up to rub his tired eyes. "I might get pancakes and bacon," I mused before looking up at the guys. "What about you?" "Anything that comes with coffee," Dean mumbled, the heel of his hands digging into his eyes. "Fruit pancakes," Sam said, seeming to be the most awake out of all of us. Adam nodded. We all looked up when a middle aged waitress walked up to us with her pad out and ready to take our orders. "What can I get you, honey?" she asked, looking down at Adam with a big smile. "The chicken cordon blue skillet with a large cup of coffee, sugar and cream, please," he told her, surrendering his menu. "Pancakes and bacon with a large cup of hot chocolate and whipped cream." I say. "The special with coffee." Dean says. "I'll have the fruit pancake and also coffee." Sam replies. She trapped the menus under her arm and nodded. "That'll only be a few minutes." Three out of four grunted in response as she walked to the kitchen. Sam looked over at us and sighed at the silence. "So, what exactly happened last night?" He wondered, leaning across the table to look at me a little closer. I looked up at him with half closed eyes, a frown pulling at my lips. "Starting from when?" "Whenever." I glanced over at Adam and saw the pleading look in his eyes. I could almost hear him shouting in my head 'DON'T MENTION!' I looked back to Sam and shrugged. "Nearly drowned, Adam saved me, watch TV all day, got attacked by the Banshee, Cas saved me and now I'm sitting in a diner booth looking at some freakishly tall man in the face with the best bored expression I can muster." "Wait, you almost drowned?" I looked over at Dean and nodded. "Out by the pool, Banshee showed up and I fell in, Adam pulled me out, we ended up in the shower together before Castiel showed up and healed me." "You fell into the pool?" "That? That's what you caught in that statement?" I stated, my eyebrows scrunched together. "What if he had taken advantage of me in my weak state of mind?" Dean watched me for a moment with a dead panned face. "I doubt he would still be alive if he had taken advantage of you in your weak state of mind. Now, you fell into the pool?" I blinked a few times before nodding. "Yes, I fell into the pool." Dean thought about that for a moment before a bright smile twisted on his lips. "Did he...?" He trailed off with a raised eyebrow. "Yes, he did. He saved my life." Dean chuckled and looked to Adam. "You have no idea what you've done, do you?" He questioned before I elbowed him in the rib. "What?" Adam asked, looking more confused than Sam and Dean "You have a bodyguard for life now." I nudged my friend once again and shot him a glare. Adam smiled brightly. "He already is, Dean." I reply. "Aww! Sammy, get a camera!" He giggles like a two year old. I roll my eyes and sigh lightly. "Do I have to stab you with a fork? Cause I will." "Oh calm down," he told me, patting my arm. "Look, our foods here." The waitress arrived with their plate, surprisingly not having to ask who ordered what. "Anything else I can get you?" she asked. "Nope, we're good," both Adam and I said. "Call me if you think of anything." We dug into their food, the only sound was us eating. "Kalin O'Conner," I said after their plates were cleaned. "Who?" The others asked. "That's what the Banshee kept calling me. Kalin O'Conner." My friends were silent. "I'm sure they thought you were someone else, Mia." I nod, unsure of myself. *A few hours later* We were sitting at a table in a knock off version of T.G.I. Friday's where the waiters were three times the annoying at the actually thing. We had ordered our lunch, Dean adding a few shots in with it, me stealing a few glances at Adam when he wasn't looking while Sam and Dean shook their heads at us. The kid looked right out of high school and living off of tips, the amount of buttons on his suspenders telling you how far he had fallen in his need of money. "Radical. What else can I get you guys?" he asked, looking all of them over. "No, I think we're good," Sam answered, throwing a forced smile at him. "Yeah?" "Yeah." "You wanna try a couple of Fryer Bombs or a Chipotle Chili Chonga?" he said, leaning forward at the last word. "No, no, we're still good," Dean said, starting to get annoyed. The fact that he had been arguing with his brother mere moments before didn't help to keep him calm. The kid didn't seem discouraged as his smile stayed on his face. "Okay, awesome." I leaned over with Dean to watch the kid walk away, amazed by his insistence. Dean looked over at me and shot his eyebrows up, me throwing him a shrug. Sam let out a long sigh, earning the attention of his brother once again. Dean sighed, skulking another shot. "Oh," he grunted as he set the shot glass back on the table "Right," Sam said sarcastically. Dean scanned the shots before frowning at Sam. Adam wrapped his arm around me and kissed me. I elbowed Dean when the waiter made his way over to the table again, causing him to lean back. "Outstanding. Dessert time? Am I right?" "Dude?" Dean started but stopped when the waiter leaned against the table. "Listen, bros, you have got to try our Ice Cream Extreme," he said, looking at them all again. "It's extreme." Dean held in his snort and looked away from him, kicking me under the table as I struggled not to laugh. Sam struggled to turn him down. "Oh, uh, no extremities, please," he said. "Just the-" "Check?" the waiter asked, pulling the white piece of paper away from the tray he was holding. He threw it on the table, the smile still bright on his lips. "All right, awesome." "Thanks," Sam spoke, his voice a hushed tone of amazement. There was an odd moment of silence between us as we all got over the annoyance of the young man. "All right, so where do we go from here?" Dean questioned, shoving more fries in his mouth. "Not sure," Sam stated, digging into his bag to pull out his laptop. "Looks like it's been pretty quiet lately. No signs of demon activity, no omens or portents I can see." Dean followed a waitress as she walked by, earning an elbow to the ribs from me. "That's good news for once," he stated, looking back to his brother. "Yeah, I guess," Sam agreed, opening his laptop and typing away. "Just the typical smattering of crank UFO sightings and one possible vengeful spirit. Here, check this out," he said, grabbing his laptop and holding it out to me. I reached across the table and took the computer with care, setting it down on the table at an angle so both me and Adam could read what was on the screen. "Up in Concrete, Washington, eyewitness reports of a ghost that's been haunting the showers of a woman's health facility," Sam told us. Dean chocked on his beer while I frowned at the screen, reading it over. "The victim claims that the ghost threw her down a flight of stairs," Sam continued, watching as his brother pulled out his wallet and count out some money. "I can see you're very interested." "Women, showers," Dean listed, pulling out a wad of cash. "We gotta save these people," he said, throwing it down onto the table. Adam sighed and looked to me. "Why are we with them again?" He asked, grabbing his bag. "Higher powers are conspiring to keep us together so they'll be able to take us out all at once if we don't follow their orders?" I suggested as she closed Sam's laptop and stuffing it into my own bag. Adam couldn't help but think that through, the simple words of the sentence making more sense than it should have. He watched as I got up and walked off after Dean, a small smirk on my lips. "Mia, wait! You can't be serious!" Me and Adam had been dropped off at Lucky Chin's to meet with the woman who had been thrown down the stairs. Sam and Dean had set out to find a motel room and maybe do a little more research but knowing the two it seemed unlikely. I had tuned out most of the interview, almost instantly turned off when the woman had came off all cocky about surviving a ghost attack. Almost everything about the woman was rubbing me wrong. "I'm not surprised the spirit world chose to make contact with me," Candace stated, smiling sweetly at Adam, her eyes bright, then moving her eyes to me, her eyes turning cold and her lips forming in a tight line. She turned back to Adam. "I'm something of a natural sensitive." I choked on a snort, covering it over with a cough. Adam nodded, trying very hard not to call bullshit. "I can sense that about you, Candace. That whole sensitive thing." Candace gave a pleased smile. My stomach twisted and Adam wrapped an arm around me, sensing my discomfort. "So, what did you say you're calling you book?" "Oh. Well, um, the working title is Supernatural," he answered, looking down at the notepad in his hands. "Yeah, I've been crossing the country gathering stories like yours. But anyways, you were telling me about you encounter." Candace straightened in her seat, a smile coming to her lips once again. "Yes, well, once I saw the apparition..." I turned my attention away from the woman and to a couple that was sitting off to the side. My eyebrows shot up when I saw the beautiful woman lean over the table and kiss the rather unattractive nerd/man sitting across from her. I watched them for a moment before shaking my head and turning my attention back to the conversation. "And you said the ghost chased you?" Adam asked. "Not just that, it knew my name," she stated, bobbing her head with each word. "It kept yelling, 'Mrs. Armstrong, Mrs. Armstrong!' and that's when I hit the stairs and fell." I leaned forward, my eyebrow raised. "You fell?" she asked. "The ghost didn't push you?" Candace looked to me and struggled. "Oh, I don't- I don't know. I mean, I think it did. Maybe," she answered, sounding unsure. Adam jumped in. "Did you feel like it meant to hurt you, like it was violent or..." "It was a ghost," she stated, with a laugh. "I'm lucky to be alive. Anyway, I was at the bottom of the stairs and that's when it got weird," she said, pausing for dramatic effect. Something in me wanted to punch her. I really have no idea what happened to the sweet little girl I used to be/still am. I think almost dying three times does that to a person. "It helped me up." That shocked both of us. We leaned forward, our eyes locked on the woman. "Say again?" Adam asked, a little shocked. "Yeah, it helped me up," she repeated. "And it kept saying over and over, 'please, don't tell my mom.'" A moment of silence passes between us, letting the information sink it. I looked to Adam, confusion clear on my face. "Yeah, that's weird." *Sam's POV* We pulled up to the Health Center, Dean practically bouncing in his seat. I rolled my eyes as I got out and headed towards the front door. We pulled out the EMF and scanned the entire thing twice but found nothing. Dean bitched about having to leave the showers without seeing a naked woman. *Mia's POV* Sam looked up when me and Adam walked over, both looking unamused. "Well, you pick up anything?" I asked, getting Dean to close his newspaper. "No EMF in the shower or anywhere else. This house is clean," he answered, sounding just as annoyed as he had the first time he found that out. I grabbed his arm and pulled him up from the steps, dragging him after Dean and Sam. "I'm not surprised," Sam stated, a smile on his lips. I nodded. "I'm starting to think that crazy pushed Mrs. Armstrong down the stairs," I said, smiling at Adam who smiled back. "I gotta admit. I'm kind of disappointed," Dean stated, glancing the area over with a frown. "You wanted to save naked women," Sam stated, knowing his brother. Dean nodded. "Damn right I wanted to save naked woman, maybe do a little something with them," Dean stated, earning a smack to the back of the head from me. He looked back at me with a frown. "What was that for?" I rolled my eyes. "Oh, I don't know, the fact that you were more concerned about the lack of clothes the victim was wearing rather than the victim themselves, and getting in their pants." "Oh come on, Mia," Dean said, pushing me. "If some hunky underwear model was in danger you would be acting the same way." Adam turned bright red. "No, I wouldn't." I say, slightly annoyed. "Yes you would." "No I wouldn't." "Yes you would." "No, I wouldn't." I say, pushing Dean. "I love Adam, I would not turn him down for some dumb underwear model." I say, grabbing Adam and pressing my lips against his. "Love you Mia." He whispers. "Love you too Adam." I say, wrapping my arms around his neck. "Come on, lets go outside." I opened my mouth to speak but paused when three little boys came running across the bridge. "Come on, guys, get him!" one of the boys yelled, his eyes locked on the kid in the front. "I got him, I got him!" "Run, Forrest, Run!" Dean yelled after them, a smirk on his lips. "Poor kid," Adam muttered. Sam scoffed at him. "Sorry, Dean, I don't think anything's going on around here." "How was I supposed to get a look at it? It grabbed me from behind and threw me into a tree!" All four of us stopped when we heard that and found a man yelling at an officer. "Something's going on," Adam stated. With a collective nod we all walked over, more than interested in what was going on. "I understand you got shook up, anyone would be," the officer told the man, trying to calm him down. "Don't you think it- don't you think it had to be a bear?" "I know a damn bear track when I see one," she man argued. "This things didn't leave bear tracks! It's feet were huge!" "How, Gus-" "It was Bigfoot, Hal, the Bigfoot!" "Gus, you're not talking sense here-" "There's a Bigfoot out there, damn it, and he's a son of a bitch!" I smiled at that and pulled out my badges along with my friends. "Excuse us. FBI," Sam told them as we held up the fake identification. The officer looked us over, his eyes sarcastic. "What?" "Yes, sir. We're here about the..." Sam trailed off to gesture to Gus. "That." "The Bigfoot?" the officer questioned, probably confused as to why four FBI agents were interested in a fictional creature that a more than out of his mind hunter was claiming to have seen. I nodded and stepped up. "That's right," I told him before turning to Gus. "Sir, can you tell me exactly where this happened?" I asked, using my special authority voice I had learned from my friends, when it was enough to understand the influence it held over people. Gus shifted his weight, looking smug over the fact that we were all interested. "Yes I can," he answered. "What the hell's going on in this town?" Dean demanded as we strolled through the forest, our eyes glued to the ground in search of the the tracks left by the 'Bigfoot.' "First there's a ghost that's not real and now a Bigfoot sighting?" "Well, every hunter worth his salt knows Bigfoot's a hoax," Sam stated, sounding unamused that they were actually going this far into the claim of the delirious man. I snorted, stepping up next to Dean. "Maybe there's LSD in the water?" He smiled down at me. "I'll take a glass right about now," he stated before something caught his attention. He elbowed me and pointing to the ground, my eyes following his finger. "Wow," I muttered when I saw there was the giant footprint embedded in the soft soil. "Agreed," he told me before looking back to the footprint. "Okay, what do you suppose made those?" Sam struggled to wrap his head around it. "That, uh...is a big foot," he stated. Adam crouched down next to us and pressed his fingers to the center of the print. He scanned the ground, his eyes connecting the many other prints that littered the ground. "Come on," he said, walking ahead of us. "They lead this way." The three of us followed behind him, trying to think through the fact Bigfoot could be real. We followed the footprints across a bridge and soon came to a building with it's door hanging from it's hinges. We went inside to find the place trashed. "So what, Bigfoot breaks into a liquor store jonesing for some hooch?" Dean asked, crouching down to look at the shattered liquor bottles. "Amaretto and Irish cream. He's a girl-drink drunk," he stated. Adam let out a laugh as he looked down at the the magazine rack. "Check this out," he said, a bright smile on his lips. The others walked over, Dean's face a mask of shock. "He took the whole porno rack?" he asked before Sam reached out and pulled a big lock of fur away from the left over magazines. Dean turned his head to the side, his eyes wide. "Well, I'll say it again. What the hell is going on in this town?" We looked the store over once more before walking out to the bench in front of the store, silent as we tried to justify the clues in our heads. We all took turns getting ready to say something but always stopped when our idea's fell through in our heads. "I got nothing," Dean finally announced, both me and Adam nodding in agreement. "It's gotta be a joke, right?" Sam asked, always the logical one, the thought of Bigfoot being real sending his mind running in the opposite direction. "Like some big-ass mother in a gorilla suit?" he asked, looking to Adam for an agreement. Adam nodded before shrugging with uncertainty. "Or it's a Bigfoot." Dean held his hands out in front of him. "You know, and he's some kind of a alcoholo-porno addict. Kind of like a deep-woods Duchovny." Sam looked up at him with a raised eyebrow and disbelief on his face. "Deep-woods Duchovny?" He asked. He went to speak but stopped when he saw his face, going serious. Just then a girl rode buy on a blue bike with a yellow basket strapped to the back. A gust of wind blew through and something blew out of the basket. Our eyes widened when we saw that the thing was a Busty Asian Beauties. We all got up and walked over to it, Sam sweeping down to pick the magazine up while we looked after the little girl. "A little young for Busty Asian Beauties," Sam stated. "You're never too young for Busy Asian Beauties," Dean stated, reaching around Sam to take the magazine from him. He rolled it up and stuck it in his back pocket. We watched as the girl placed a box full of liquor bottles and porno magazines on the back steps of the building with a sorry note. She picked her bike up and walked it back over the bridge, heading back home. "Come on, before we lose her," Adam said, grabbing onto Dean and Sam's arms to drag them back to the Impala. They found the bike in front of a two story navy blue house. We piled out of the car and walked towards the front door, not really knowing what they were going to find in the house and wishing that it really wasn't Bigfoot. "What is this, like a Harry and the Hendersons deal?" Dean asked. We stepped up onto the porch, allowing Dean to knock on the door and waited. The little girl opened the doors a moment later, looking rather curious and tired at the same time. "Hello." Sam gave her a smile. "Hi," he said. "Um...Could we-" he cut off, trying to think of the right way to ask the question. "You know what, are your parents home?" She shook her head. "Nope." "No." Sam said bluntly. "No." I said. Adam dragged in a breath. "Um..." he trailed off before flashing her a sweet smile. "Have you seen a really, really furry-?" "Is he in trouble?" she asked, panic taking over her face as she looked between the four of us. We all looked at each other, surprise and triumph on we faces. Adam smiled and stepped forward. "No, no, no. Not at all. We just wanted to make sure he was okay," he told him. "Exactly," Dean stated, pointing a finger down at me. "He's my teddy bear," she stated before leaning forward. "I think he's sick," she whispered to me. I perked up after a moment of thought. "Well, today is your lucky day, honey," I told her, reaching into my pocket to pull out my FBI badge to show her. "We're all teddy bear doctors." Dean, Adam and Sam reached into their pockets and pulled out our own badges, flashing them to the girl, uneasy smiles on our faces. Relief flooded the girls face. "Really? Can you please take a look at him?" "Sure," the girls answered. "Yeah," Dean and Sam agreed. We followed her into the house and went up the stairs, the house surprisingly clean for a kid that was home alone. "He's in my bedroom. He's pretty grumpy," she told us when they we the top of the stairs. She walked over to a white door and knocked lightly. "Teddy? There's some nice doctors here to see you," she called before pushing the door open. There was a life sized teddy bear sitting on the little girls bed, watching TV and drinking. "Close the freakin' door! Go away!" it yelled, getting our eyes to widen. The girl sighed and closed the door. "See what I mean?" she asked, looking up at us with exasperation. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that we were shocked into silence, the image of a giant teddy bear running through our heads. "All I ever wanted was a teddy which was big, real, and talked. But now he's sad all the time- not 'ouch' sad but 'ouch in the head' sad- says weird stuff, and smells like the bus," she explained, sounding more exhausted than upset. Dean cleared his throat. "Um, little girl-" "Audrey," she said with a sigh. The boys pulled back slightly with surprise. I blink. Dean let out soft laugh. "Audrey...how exactly did you teddy bear become real?" "I wished for it," she told him, sounding like it should have been the most obvious thing in the world. Sam's brow scrunched. "You wished for it?" "At the wishing well." Adam thought for a moment before stepping forward and opening the door once again, me shuffling behind him to look over his shoulder. "Look at this," it said, gesturing to the TV that had a news station reporting a series of bombing in a shopping center. "You believe this crap?" Adam looked between the TV and the bear. "Not really." "It is a terrible world," it stated before suddenly turning to face us. Both me and Adam jerked back, me letting out another squeak. "Why am I here?" it demanded. "For tea parties!" Audrey called from the hallway. "Tea parties? Ah-ha," it said with a shaky voice. "Is that all there is?" it questioned, sounding near tears. My fingers gripped the back of Adam's jacket and I stepped back. He reached out and grabbed the door handle, closing the white door as we backed up. We looked at each other with wide eyes, more scared than anything. Sam looked down at Audrey, once again struggling for something to say. "Audrey, give us a second, okay?" he settled. "Okay." "Okay," Sam repeated, turning away from her and staring off at the wall, the other three joining him. "Are we- Should we-? Uh-" he paused to glance at Adam. "Are we gonna kill this teddy bear?" he whispered, the words sounding weird coming from his mouth. "How?" Dean asked. "We shoot it? Burn it?" "How about both?" "How do we know that's gonna work?" Dean asked him. "I mean, I don't want some giant, flaming, pissed-off teddy on our hands." Adam nodded. "Yeah. Besides, I don't think the bear is the main problem here," he stated before looking to the poor little girl. "Audrey, where are your parents?" He asked, getting his voice to go back to normal. "My mom wished they were in Bali, so I think they're in Bali," she answered. Adam nodded slowly. "Okay," he said before walking forward and crouching in front of her. "You were right about your teddy bear. He's got something called-" he cut off, his train of thought not going that far. "Lollipop disease," I said quickly, filling the gap. Adam nodded and looked back to Audrey. "He's got something called Lollipop disease." "It's not uncommon for a bear his size," Dean told her, stepping up to Adam. "But see, it's really contagious." "Yeah, so, is there someone, maybe a grownup that you can stay with while we treat him?" Sam asked, that easy smile on his face again. "Mrs. Hurley lives down the street." Adam's smile grew. "Perfect. Do you think you could stay with her for a few days?" Audrey nodded. "Yeah." "Oh, and Audrey," Dean started, getting the girls attention. "Where is this wishing well?" "Okay," Adam said, once again crouching down in front of Audrey. "I'm going to walk you down to Mrs. Hurley while my friends take care of your teddy bear," he told her. Audrey nodded, her small suitcase sitting by her side. "Come on, let's go," he said, shooting us three looks before walking off down the street, Audrey's hand in his own with the suitcase trailing behind them. "Huh," Sam said, watching the two walk off. I was pulled from my thoughts to look at the giant man. "What?" He shook his head. "Nothing. It's just that...I never thought Adam was a kid person." "He's so sweet with kids…" I mumble, smiling. "Yeah…he has always been talking about having kids of his own. He really likes them." I smile again. We piled back into the Impala once Audrey was safe at Mrs. Hurley's and headed out to Lucky Chin's. I looked down when I saw the kid from earlier walk away from the fountain, a raised eyebrow following him. We circled around the fountain, looking down into the water, the bottom shining with coins. "Think it works?" Dean asked, his eyes narrowed on the fountain. "You got a better explanation for teddy back there?" Sam asked. Dean shrugged and reached into his pocket. "There's one way to find out." "What are you going to wish for?" "Shh," Dean hissed, tossing the coin into the water. "You're not supposed to tell." The door opened and a fat man walked in with a sub uniform on. "Somebody order a foot-long Italian with jalapeño?" he asked, holding the sub up. "That's be me," Dean said, raising his hand with a shocked face. I watched as Dean devoured the foot-long Italian with jalapeño in the Chinese restaurant. I was finding it hard to believe that a wishing well was actually granting wishes. I had heard of object granting wishes, things like cursed items that witches let out into the world to cause trouble and kill people. In my mind, anything that could make that monstrosity of a teddy bear was far more evil than I originally thought. "I think it works, dude," Dean stated, after taking another bite. "I was pretty specific." "The teddy bear, the sandwich..." Sam trailed off, not really knowing what to think of it all. Dean suddenly reached into his jacket and pulled out the paper he had stashed there, opening it and showing them the article with the winning lottery man. "I'm guessing this." Sam looked over at the couple sitting at the table across from them. "I'm guessing that." We all watched them for a moment, all of us slightly disturbed by the couple. Adam blinked and stared at me, and smiled. His hands slip into my fingers and I lean my head against his shoulder. "Oh, that definitely goes on the list," Dean stated before shrugging. "What are we supposed to do? Stop people's wishes from coming true? Sound kind of like a douchey thing to do." "Yeah, maybe," Sam agreed, looking down at the table. "But come on man, when has something like this ever come without a price tag and usually a deadly one." "I don't know..." Dean paused to look down at his sub, "it's a damn good sandwich." He continued to eat for a moment before finally setting the thing aside. "All right, fine. We'll put a hold on the wishing until we figure out what's what." I smacked Dean's shoulder when the owner of Lucky Chin's walked over, a frown set on his face. "Gentlemen, ma'am, I'm sorry," he said, his accent prominent. "We don't allow people to eat outside food here." Dean looked down at his sandwich, threw a look to Sam before turning his attention back to the owner. "Well, I am certainly not gonna eat the inside food here. Heh," he said before reaching into his jacket for a badge. He pulled one out, opened it and quickly shoved it back in his pocket, motioning to the owner to wait one more moment before finally pulling out the right badge. "Health department. You, my friend, have a rat infestation," he stated. "We have to shut this place down under Emergency Hazard Code 56C." "Rats?" the owner asked. Sam stood next to Dean as he swiped the coins at the bottom of the fountain into a neat pile. "It's a typical fountain, plaster Buddha. Nothing I can see," he stated, pulling himself up and out of it. "Yes, nothing. We keep a clean place here," the owner argued, giving us a thumbs up. Adam turned to him, his serious face on. "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave during the preliminary investigation. It's part of the protocol, very strict, it could ruin the whole report," he said, clapping his hand on his shoulder and steering him away. "Thank you." Once again we were standing around the fountain, looking down at the bottom. "Oh, come on. Aren't you a little tempted?" Dean asked, digging into his pocket and tossing Sam a quarter. He caught it and chuckled. "No, wouldn't be real. Wouldn't trust it," he answered, handing the coin back to Dean. "I don't know, that bear seemed real," he stated, chuckling. "Yeah," he agreed with a shrug. "Come on, if you could wish yourself back, I mean before it all started. Think about it, you'd be some big yuppie lawyer with a nice car, beautiful Jessica, a white picket fence," Dean said, attempting to sell the life Sam had wanted all those years ago. Sam flinched at the mention of Jessica. Adam told me that she died the same way my mom, and their mother died. "Not what I'd wish for," Sam told him. "Seriously?" I asked, looking up at him with a raised eyebrow. "It's too late to go back to our old lives," he stated before shrugging. "I mean, I'm not that guy anymore." I smiled at Adam with a soft smile, my boyfriend smiling back. I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around him. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulls me closer. "Okay, so no white picket fence," Adam said, his tone light. "What would Sammy Winchester wish for?" Sam thought for a moment. "Lilith's head on a plate. Bloody." I couldn't agree more. Then maybe, I would have not been possessed by a demon, caused my friends grief, and have a white-eyed demon trailing on my ass. Maybe I wouldn't have nightmares, cut, and be afraid of everything. Well, I already am afraid of everything, but thats not the point. I have Crowley's butt-buddies on my trail. I really do hope Crowley is dead. "Okay," Dean said, sniffing and looking down at the fountain once again. I could tell that what Sam had told Dean was far from what he had thought it would have been. Hell, I would expect Adam to ask for the same thing, a white picket fence with a normal life living within it but I knew now that Adam wouldn't ask for that if given the chance, then maybe, he wouldn't have met me. I would probably be mopping around my old house, afraid to do anything. Still cutting. Come to think of it, I haven't cut in a while. I probably would be dead, or something. "Mia, what would you wish for?" Oh. That would be easy. I would wish for my mom to still be alive, my dad the way he used to be, the non-abusive, drunken father I had been afraid of for two years of my life. He made me cut. He made me who I am today. A monster, a freak. But then again, I probably would have met my friends. I don't reply. "What is that?" Dean asked, crouching down into the fountain again. He pushed a few pennies away from a larger coin and revealed a rather old looking piece of metal. "Some kind of old coin. I don't recognize the markings," Sam stated, leaning down next to his brother. Dean groaned as he tried to pick the coin up way from the bottom of the fountain. "Damn," he cursed. "Lift with your legs," Sam joked with a laugh. Dean tried to dig his fingers under the coin. "Gah! What, is that little mother welded on there?" he asked, looking up to his brother. I watched as they had one of their silent conversations before they got up and walked out to the Impala. I raised and eyebrow and shot a look down at the coin they were fussing over. "Adam, look at this," I said, waving my boyfriend down to me. Adam appeared seconds later and they both looking at the coin. Something stuck me. I recognized the coin. I think I saw it somewhere in a textbook somewhere. "Hey, isn't that a-?" "Yeah. Doesn't that mean?-" "Yep. This isn't good," Adam stated, shaking his head. "Whoever threw this in here is either an asshole or some idiot who doesn't know what he's got." "I think I know who it is." "The nerd-man who somehow managed to catch the local hottie?" I asked, nodding along with Adam. "They were here when Sam and I interviewed Mrs. Armstrong," Adam explained. "He must like coming back here to check the coin." "If he come back to check it then that means he knows what it does." "He knows what it does but not to it's full extent." I nodded again. "He didn't seem like the type to do something like this fully knowing what would happen." "I think we should-" Adam cut off when the guys walked back into the restaurant, a crowbar and hammer clutched in their hands. The owner followed after them, concern written all over his face. Dean placed the crow bar on the edge of the coin and pushed his weight against it, trying to pry it up. "Hey, what is this?" the owner asked. "You are gonna break my fountain." Adam jumped up again, pushing himself between him and boys. "Sir, please, I will slap a 44-slash-16 on the report if you continue to interrupt our investigation," he told him, once again pushing him away from the fountain. "Thank you," he said before turning back around, surprised faces greeting him from the rest of us. He shrugged and looked down at the coin again. "Come on, Winchester, get it out." Dean let out a sigh before looking to the hammer in Sam's hand. "Let me see that. I got an idea," he said, reaching out for it. He jammed the crow bar under the coin and raised the hammer over his head, bringing it down in a rush. My eyes widened as the head of the hammer shot towards me, my instincts kicking in and jerking my to the side as it flew past my head, three and a half inches from impaling my head. "Oh!" the owner gasped, folding his arms over his chest. Dean looked down at the broken hammer in his hand. "Damn." "Coin's magical," Sam stated, looking down at the unaffected metal. "Boy, I'd say," Dean said, while me and Adam hung back, keeping our mouths shut. Sam pulled out his notepad and started to trace the coin. "I think it's Hoodoo that's protecting the well," Dean stated, tossing the handle aside. "I don't think we can destroy this." Sam pulled the tracing away and held it out to Adam. "All right, here. You gotta look into this." "Where you going?" Adam asked, snagging the paper from Sam's fingers. "Something just occurred to me," he stated before heading towards the door. "Wait, I'll come with you," Dean said, pulling away from me and jogging after Sam, both of them disappearing out into the street. I shook my head and looked back to Adam. "Come on, Addie, we got research to do," I said, gesturing to the door. Adam stuffed the paper in his pocket and headed towards the door. "I need you to shut down for the day, make sure no one comes in or out, understand?" he asked the owner, using the famous Winchester stare down. He nodded and allowed Adam to pass him. I followed beside him as we headed outside and walking down the street. We were crossing the street towards their hotel room when they heard the familiar sound of children yelling. We looked over and found the same kids from earlier that day being chased by the kid they had been chasing. They ran by them, panting and yelling to hurry, the kid doing to chasing stopping and staring at them. "You got a problem, mister?" the kid asked, completely ignoring me. It took Adam a moment to process what the kid had just said. "What? No." The kid watched for another moment before running off after the other kids. We entered the hotel room and sat down. It didn't take long for Sam and Dean to come back. "It's a cursed Babylonian coin," he stated, giving me a pointed look. Sam smiled back, shaking his head as he took a seat at the small table in the corner. I turned my attention towards Sam. "The serpent on the coin is Tiamat which is the Babylonian god of primordial chaos," I explained. "Her priests were working some very serious Black Magic." "They made the coin?" Sam asked, looking the research over. Dean nodded and sat on the bed opposite Sam. "Yeah, to sow the seeds of chaos." "If you throw the coin into a well and make a wish with it, the well turns and will work for anyone, but like all Black Magic theirs a price," Dean continued. Sam nodded. "The wishes get twisted. You asked for a talking teddy-" "You get a bipolar nut job," Adam finished from his spot next to me. I nodded, understanding the logic. "One person gets their wish, it's trouble. But everybody gets their wish-" "It's chaos," Sam finished. "Mm-hm," Dean agreed, taking a gulp of beer. I flinch. "Anyway to stop it?" Adam nodded. "The person who threw the coin in the well is the only one who can pull it out. You have to get them to take back their wish, thus reversing all the ones that came after it." "So for now, we've got, you know, a couple of nutso dreams come true but once word gets out about the well...things are just going to get crazier and crazier." "This is just perfect," I stated, letting out a sigh as I dropped my head to the table. "The coin could have come from anyone. I mean, this coin had to have circled the globe a few times and changed hands more time than a dollar in a strippers thong." Dean choked on his beer at that, coughing with a smile on his lips. I pounded lightly on his back, a smile of my own touching my face. I ruffled his hair when he was breathing normally once again. "I can't believe you're drinking a beer after throwing up," I stated, reaching around to take it from him. "Your throat is damaged from the stomach acid, you need to let it heal before eating or drinking anything. It could damage your throat and cause you extreme pain in the morning, unless, if you were to drink immediately after you woke up. If you did that, you could damage your vocal cords and you could have trouble breathing." Dean screwed his face up and looked back at me. "What the hell-" "She's right," Sam interrupted. He looked to him, confusion still on his face. "How do you-" "Trust me. My father would wake up drunk, stay out in bars and drink, come back, abuse me, leave to drink, then come back late and abuse me. It was the same thing, every night. Then he'd wake up and not remember anything and he'd do it again." Adam wrapped his arm around me and gave me a kiss on the forehead. "I'm taking a nap," Dean stated, collapsing backwards onto the bed. I rolled my eyes and crawled off the bed to take the seat at the desk at the far side of the room where my laptop sat waiting for me. I woke it started to mess around with the bits of legend me and Adam had found. Dean had to empty stomach. My mind wandered to a numb sort of state for God knows how long before I was pulled from it by the sound of Sam's voice. "Dean, wake up!" I looked over my shoulder and found Dean twitching on the bed. He was having another nightmare. "What? I'm up," Dean said, pushing himself up into a sitting position, his back facing us. "What?" he asked again, his voice gruff. "You sleep well?" Sam asked as Dean rubbed at his eyes. I watched as Dean reached down to the floor to pick up the bottle of whiskey he had left at the bedside. "Tanned, rested, and ready," he answered before taking a swig. "What do you got?" Sam didn't answer. "Please?" Dean asked, knowing that would get his brother. "We got teddy bear, lottery guy, invisible pervert guy. They all must have wished sometime in the last two weeks but who wished first and how are we supposed to know who else wished for what, when?" Sam asked, his voice somber with defeat. I was about to suggest the weird nerd-man when Dean got a triumphant look on his face and snapped the paper into a attention. "Well, it helps when they announce it in the paper," he stated, walking over to the desk I was sitting at and slapped the paper down on it, the others flocking around to get a look. "Goes back a month," he said, tapping the picture of Nerd-Man and Local Hottie. I leaned forward and started to read the article. "'Wesley Mondale and Ms. Hope Lynn Casey have announced their surprise engagement.'" "Ah. True love," Adam said, smiling down at me. Sam let out a small laugh. "Best lead we got," he stated. "I'll find out where he lives," he said before moving back to his computer. A few minutes later we pulled up to the small house of Wesley Mondale. It didn't look like anything special but it was more than any of the hunters had ever had in their lives. Cheap motels didn't really count as good and stable homes. We reached the front porch and Sam rang the doorbell, all of them waiting. The door swung open and Hope appeared with a smile on her lips. "May I help you?" she asked, looking us over. We all paused, realizing that none of us had agreed on who they were going to be. Adam cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Yes, we're the florists for your wedding. Wesley called us," he told her. Hope's smile widened to 100 watts. "Oh my God, that is so sweet of him," she gushed. "Please, come in," she said, stepping aside. We followed behind her as she marched through the small house, the smile still on her lips. "Wes, you didn't tell me that you called the florists for the wedding," she said when she reached the nerd-man in the reclining chair. "Huh?" the nerd-man asked, looking us over, a more than confused look on his face. "Oh. You're the best," Hope stated before trapping his head and kissing his forehead. "I'm gonna go get my folders," she declared before skipping off to another room. "Uh, okay," the nerd-man said, sounding uneasy. "Wesley," Dean said, catching the mans attention, "how's it going?" he asked while Sam shook his head. "It's Wes-" the nerd-man started, moving to get out of his chair but lowered back down when we advanced towards him. He seemed to think for a moment before looking back up at us. "Aren't you the guys from the health department?" he asked. Sam nodded. "Yeah, and florists on the side." "Plus FBI," Dean added. "And on Thursdays, we're teddy-bear doctors," Adam spoke, smiling down at the scared nerd-man. "Huh?" he questioned. "It doesn't matter who we are. What matters in what we know," Dean told him. I looked away from the nerd-man and spotted the coins hanging in frames behind him. "So, a coin collector, huh?" I asked, my voice surprisingly steady. The nerd-man looked behind him, eying to the coins. "Oh, yeah. My..." he paused, trying to word it just right, "grandfather gave them to me." "Did you lose one of those coins lately?" Dean asked. "And by 'lose' I mean drop into a wishing well at Lucky Chin's and make a wish on it?" The nerd-man shook his head, a little too calm for the situation. "No, I-I don't know what you're, ah, talking about," he stated. Dean was about to say something else when Hope came back into the room. "Okay, now. I have a lot of ideas," she said, a stack of folders and papers in her arms. "But, you know, we don't have all the money in the world. Wes is between jobs right now. Means more time for me," she stated, smiling brightly at them. Sam smiled right back, the expression completely fake. "You know, I'm thinking of a Japanesey-ikebane kind of thing," she told them. "I can see that," she stated, moving over to him. "We can have Sakura blossoms as center pieces with white Chrysanthemums accompanying them. Now, I doubt you want the same for your bouquet?" I asked, getting weird looks from everyone but Hope. The soon-to-be bride went to open her mouth but Sam cut her off. "So, Hope, tell us how you two lovebirds met," he said, knowing that would set her off. "Oh," Hope sighed. "Best day of my life." "I bet," Dean commented while me and Adam 'aww'ed. "Yeah. It's the funniest thing. We both grew up here but I never really knew who he was. Not by name anyway," she stated, getting Sam and Dean to shoot nerd-man a look. "Until one day last month, it was like I just...oh, I just saw him for the first time. He was just glowing," she said, setting her folders down to stroke nerd-man's face. "Oh, just glowing." "Babe, can you get us come coffee?" the nerd-man asked, uncomfortable with the strangers knowing this much about him and Hope. She nodded with a breathy sigh. "Yes, yeah," she answered before leaning in for a kiss. We all watched as Hope took advantage of the opportunity and managed to pull of a little make out session with the nerd-man. I forced myself not to gag. "Okay," the nerd-man said for the hundredth time, managing to push Hope off of him. "Would you-?" he gestured to the kitchen. "Yeah!" she said before bustling off into the kitchen. The nerd-man cleared his throat while we got over what we had just saw. "Wes, we know. So tell us the truth," Sam said, fixing the nerd-man with the Winchester Glare. He watched them for a moment before letting out sigh. "My grandfather found the coin in North Africa, you know, World War 2," he said, walking over to one of the frames, "and he brought it back," he explained, pulling the frame down and bringing it over to us. "He, um, said it was a real wish-granting coin. But that nobody should ever use it. Uh...He was all I had, and when he died I though: 'Well, you know what? Why not give the coin a shot?'" Adam clenched his jaw and stepped forward, his hand going to the gun shoved in the back of his pants. He pulled it out and held it in front of him, pointed down at the ground so the nerd-man could see it. It glinted wickedly in the light. "We'd really wish you'd come with us," Dean stated, smirked at the look Adam had caused. Me and Adam found ourselves shoved in the back with the nerd-man as they drove down the street back to Lucky Chin's. I was pressed against the car door, wanting nothing more than to be as far from the nerd-man as I possibly could. Adam on the other hand was keeping an eye on our little suspect, waiting for him to do something stupid so he could shoot him. "I don't get it," the nerd-man stated, getting our attention. "So my wish came true. Why does that have to be a bad thing?" "Because the wishes go south, Wes. Your town is going insane," Sam stated, his tone annoyed. "You're gonna sit there and tell me your relationship with Hope is functional?" Dean questioned. "That it's what you wished for?" "I wished," the nerd-man started, pushing himself forward to lean on the front seat, "she would love me more than anything." I let out a scoff. "More than breathing, more than eating, more than sleeping, more than living," I said, looking down at the nerd-man with a glare. "That seems healthy to you?" I demanded. "Well, it's a hell of a lot better than when she didn't know I was alive, you little slut. Go to hell, you miserable bitch." he shot back, a glare of his own directed at me. Dean slammed on the breaks. Sam turned to us, glaring at the nerd-man. Dean turned, throwing a 'did you just go there?' look. Adam's face turned completely red, glaring knives at the nerd-man. Before we could blink, Adam's fist connected with the nerd's man jaw. The nerd-man blinked, clenched his jaw, and glared at me and Adam. I tried not to flip out on him, so I rolled my eyes and looked back out the window, rage bubbling up in my blood. At the same time, tears pricked my eyes. I blinked them away, not wanting to show any sign of weakness. "You're not supposed to get what you want, man, Not like this," Dean told him, his voice hard after what the nerd-man had called me. Dean started to drive again. The Impala lurched forward. "Nobody is. That's what the coin does, it take your heart's desires and it twists it back on you. You know the whole 'be careful what you wish for?'" The nerd-man shook his head, clenched his jaw again, and went to speak when the Impala hit something, the whole car lifting up and slamming back down. "Jesus Christ," I cursed, my arms gripping the seat to keep myself steady. "Did we just hit something?" Sam asked, confused as all hell. "I didn't see anything," Dean stated, looking in the side view mirror. I glanced over at Adam, a hiss escaping me as I relaxed back into my seat, Adam doing the same. "'Be careful what you wish for'," the nerd-man said in a too deep voice, a very poor imitation of Dean's. "You know who says that? Good-looking jerks like you guys," he stated, sitting up once again. "The ones who got it so easy because you happen to be handsome." "Easy?" both Dean, Adam and Sam asked, looking back at the man. "Yeah," the nerd-man agreed. "Woman look at you, right? They notice you?" he asked before gesturing to me. "I mean, you're lucky enough to have this pretty little girl in your back seat. Hell, I bet this girl is someone's girlfriend." Adam's jaw clenched again. Nobody talks about me like that, according to Adam's death stare. "Believe us, we do not have it easy," Sam stated. "We are miserable," Dean agreed. "We never get what we want." The nerd-man leaned back once again, a bored sigh escaping him. "In fact, we have to fight tooth and nail just to keep whatever it is we got," Dean continued. "But you know what?" Sam asked, looking back at him. "Maybe that's the whole point, Wes." "Yeah, people are people cause they're miserable bastards- cause they never get what they really want," Adam stated, looking to Sam. "Right, yeah," Sam agreed, his voice louder than last time. "You get what you want, you get crazy." "Just take a look at Michael Jackson, hmm? Or Hasselhoff?" Dean suggested, raising his eyebrows at his brothers who both nodded in agreement. The nerd-man let out another sigh and looked over at me. "What do you think?" he asked me. He looked down at me with a glare. "I agree with them." I told him. "Just because you happen to look better than some people doesn't mean that you have it better off. I mean, look at all the beautiful woman and girls who are attacked on a daily bases, who are raped, murdered, beat up, and who are so mentally scarred they live in fear for the rest of their lives? Who are too afraid to leave their houses because of the fear of something happening?" I pointed out, glaring at the nerd-man. All conversation stops in the car. I continue. "So yeah, people don't have it easy. So button up your coat, grow a backbone, stop your complaining on how much your life sucks, how much you wish everything will be ok. That everything is perfect. We live in a sorry world. So stop rolling around in your fake, self-loathing fucking bullshit, and please, Wesley, get over it, you asshole. People like you make me sick. You have to earn things in life, not get them for free." Adam nodded in agreement. "And do you think we get paid for what we do? For saving people from things no one else believes exists?" I asked, looking down at the nerd-man. My fingers curled up into a fist. "Do you like your house? Are you happy with it?" The nerd-man shook his head. "I hate my house." "I would literally kill you right now if that meant that I could have it. We grow up learning to save selfish people like you and all we want is what you have. The luxury of ignorance," I stated, pointing a finger at him. "Tell me what's so easy about that? You want a happy world, in your own fucked up corner of the universe. But in reality, people don't get what they want. Their scared, their lonely, they get harassed. So the world isn't perfect. Get over your misery and think about people who are scared, who need help. Your a greedy son of a bitch, you know that?" I yell. "People like you don't deserve to have nice things! People like you deserve to be locked up in a rubber room, people like you don't deserve to have anything! So maybe you, Wesley, deserve to go to hell!" The car had gone quiet at my outbursts, the brothers more surprised than the nerd-man. The nerd-man shook his head and sat up once again, choosing to ignore all that was shouted at him. "You know what? Hope loves me now, completely. And it's awesome. Besides, look around. Where's all this insanity you guys were talking about?" I wanted to punch him. We pulled into town and stopped at the first corner to find the little boy that had been chased before lifting a rather large SUV onto it's side. "Well, that should cover it," Dean said, his eyes wide as he watched, flinched slightly as the boys inside the car screamed. "Kneel before Todd!" the boy in the blue jacket yelled, his fists raised to sky. "Kneel before Todd!" I leaned forward, my eyes wider than Dean's as I watched the seemingly sweet boy start to shake the car. "Jesus," I muttered before throwing my door open. Adam followed after me. "We'll handle Todd," he stated, looking back into the car to Sam and Dean. "You guys get Wes to Lucky Chin's. Go!" he said before moving to catch up with me. "Hey, kid!" I called, catching Todd's attention. "Can we talk to you for a second?" Adam asked, appearing at my side. Todd walked away from the car, heading towards them, his eyes wide. "Get out of my way," he demanded. "Okay. Hey, I can dig it, Todd. It's Todd, right?" Adam asked, holding his hands up. "Look, I know the score, okay?" he asked, leaning over to get level with the boy. "They're bullying you-" "Every day," Todd cut him off. "Every day. You do not know what it's like," he defended. Actually, I do. I want to tell him that I do know what it's like. But I don't say that. I know what it's like to not want to get up in the morning and face the day. Because your scared of what people might think and do to you. I get it. I'm scared all the time, too. "No, no, I don't. But, you know, you're you and I'm me, so," he trailed off with a chuckle. "I couldn't stop them. I couldn't do anything," Todd explained, looking down at the ground. "Then Audrey Elmer told me the wishing well worked." I stepped forward, a frown pulling at my lips. I knew what it was like to felt like you didn't belong and to have others tell you as such. I had tried to fight back several times but it had gotten me nowhere. If I had gotten the same chance that Todd had I would have done the same thing, serve up my own kind of justice. "Okay, okay. Look-look, I get it. They're-they're mean little jerks, huh? But they're not superhuman like you," he stated. I shook my head, seeing where this was going. "You see, with great power comes great response-" Todd cut him off by throwing a upper cut to his jaw, sending him flying backwards into me who was forced to fall with him into the grass. We landed together, Adam on top of me, as we grunted together. *Dean's POV* The Impala pulled up in front of Lucky Chin's the three occupants getting out. I keeping a tight grip on the back of the nerd-man's jacket to make sure that he wasn't getting away. "That-that kid turned over that car like it was nothing," the nerd-man stated, his voice shaky. Sam walked around the car. "Should have seen the teddy bear," he stated. I'm still freaked out about that. "Now, come on. Fun's over. Time to pull the coin," he stated. The nerd-man looked down at the ground, hesitant. "Wes!" I snapped shoving him slightly as he moved to stand next to Sam. "Why can't we just get what we want?" the nerd-man demanded. Sam let out sigh. "Because that's life, Wes," he answered. A rumble filled the air, a random thunder cloud appearing in the air. It rumbled again before two bolts of lightening shot from it and hit both me and Sam. We shook from the voltage and shot to the ground, smoke coming off both of us, a sizzling sound filling the air. *Wesley's POV* I looked around me before stepping over the two and marching into Lucky Chin's. I paused when I found Hope standing standing in front of the well. "Hope?" She turned around to reveal tear stained eyes. "I had to do it, didn't I?" she asked. "They were gonna make you wish away our love," She said, her voice cracking. "You wished two people dead?" I demanded, stepping towards her. "I love you more than anything," She stated, her voice calm. "Stop saying that. Stop it," I told him. I shook my head. "But I do. More than anything," She stated. "More than me. More than life." Those words struck the me. The very same things being told to me by Mia not a few minutes ago. "Oh. Wes. Don't hate me." I watched her for a moment before cupping her face and bringing her in for a kiss. I pulled away and hugged her to me. "It'll be okay. I'll make it okay," I told her. "It'll be okay," I stated before pulling away from her. I looked down at the fountain and reached in, my fingers easily picking the coin up from the bottom. As soon as the coin left the water everything went back to normal. *Dean's POV* Sam took in a gasped breath, his head lifting from his arm. He rolled himself to his back and found me sitting up as well, looking more than shaken. I looked to him, taking a shaky breath and letting it out slowly. "Holy shit," I whispered. Sam nodded in agreement. "You okay?" he asked, looking me over for any injury. Dean nodded. "You?" "I'm fine." *Mia's POV* Todd's grip lost all of it's strength and Adam could breath again. The shocked boy stepped away from Adam, fear once again on his face as Adam gasped to breath. Adam looked up at the more than frightened boy, trying to pick the right way to take this. After a moment he nodded slowly. "Okay. Follow my lead and you won't have a problem," he told Todd, pushing himself up to his feet. "Come on," he said, heading off towards the tipped over SUV. The kids were pulling themselves from the car when Adam slammed against the van next to it. "Okay, man, no more," he pleaded, his hand reached out towards Todd. "No more, okay?" he asked before looking to the kids. "I wouldn't mess with this kid any more if I were you," he gasped before turning to walk off, a smile on his lips. He quickly jobbed a wide circle around them, heading back to where he had left me. He found me sitting on the curb, bent over as breathing slowly, my hands on my ribs again. "Shit, you okay?" he asked, crouching down in front of me. I looked up at him, a small smile on my lips. "This just isn't a lucky week for my ribs," I told him. "You falling on me didn't help the bruising," I stated with a small chuckle. A smile of his own touched Adam's lips. "Come on, let's go see how Sammy and Dean did," he said, picking me up bridal style and giving me a kiss. He stood, taking me with him and headed off towards the direction of Lucky Chin's. *Sam's POV* Hope walked out of the restaurant, finding Dean and me standing next to the Impala, bewildered looks on their faces. She slowed and looked at us in the eye before continuing on her way back to where I assumed was her home. We looked back to the door when the nerd-man stepped out, a deep frown on his face. He watched them for a moment before walking over, offering the coin to me. I gently took it from his hand. *Mia's POV* We reached Lucky Chin's to find Sam and Dean leaning against the Impala, looking the coin over with uninterested eyes. "All that trouble for that little thing?" Adam asked, catching their attention. Sam's eyes widened when he saw us. "What the hell happened to you?" He asked. "Todd threw Adam into me and we sort of crashed into some grass," I explained. "You hungry?" I asked Adam. He let out a long sigh but nodded anyways. "Let's get something to eat then," Dean said. "How about subs?" Sam asked, looking over his shoulder to Dean. He frowned and flipped his brother off. I rolled my eyes and kissed Adam softly on the lips. Dean wolf whistled and Sam chuckled. I pull away and rest my head on his chest. "Come on, there's a nice Italian place down the street," I stated, my grip still on Adam's arm as I walked forward, pulling him along. I woke with a deep breath a long sigh following after. When I opened my eyes I found that the room was still dark. A quick glance at the alarm clock told me that it was 12:48 and that I should not be awake. I rolled over to my side, expecting to see Adam but found nothing but an empty side. I pushed myself up and looked the room over, searching for any sign of the youngest Winchester, finding none. Another sigh escaped me when I saw that the Impala keys were gone. I pushed myself out of bed, grabbed my shoes, jeans, and jacket before stepping out of the room. The night time air puffed up my breath, white 'smoke' swirling in front of my mouth as I made my way towards the parking lot, hoping to find the Impala still parked in the same spot. When I made it down the stairs I spotted the Impala where they had left it, the only difference was the youngest Winchester laying on the hood, a water bottle clutched in his hand as he looked up at the stars. I stopped next to the car, making enough noise to alert Adam to my presence and looked up at the sky too. "Ever try to count all of them?" I asked, my eyes darting from star to star. Adam let out a small chuckle before nodding. "When I was a kid," he answered. "Got to 600, I think, before giving up." I smiled and looked back to him. "Any reason you're freezing your ass off out here?" I asked, wrapping my arms around myself. Adam scooted over and patted the spot next to him, his eyes still on the sky. I pushed myself up onto the black car, careful not to scratch the paint as I did so. I was surprised once again when his arm lifted up slightly and wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer to him. A small silence fell over us as we once again just watched the stars. "I gotta ask," Adam said with a small chuckle. "How did you know that stuff about the wedding flowers?" he asked. I groaned and let my head fall back against the windshield. "It's just something you pick up along the way," I explained, clearly embarrassed. "Pay absolutely no attention to it." Adam chuckled again but left it alone, allowing another small silence to take over. "I never did ask you what you would wish for," he stated, bringing his water up to take a gulp. I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, my mind working over his question. "I wouldn't wish for anything." "Really?" Adam asked, letting his head drop down to the side so he could look at me. I nodded. "If you can't get something yourself than you shouldn't have it," I said, a small smile playing on my lips. "What about you?" "You know what I would wish for," he said, looking away from me. "A normal life." My face screwed up. "Really?" I asked. "I thought about that but I wouldn't have you if I did. Wouldn't have Sam or Dean or Cas or Samandriel either, hell, I wouldn't have anyone. My entire life would be different." "I didn't think about that," he muttered, letting out a sigh. "A few years back I was attacked by a Djinn and it made it so I had a normal life," he stated, his fingers absently playing with the chain that hung from his belt. He looked at me and wrapped his arms around me. "Mom was alive, Jessica was alive. I worked in a garage, I had an apartment with a girlfriend that looked like you. I think it was you, actually. Dean worked as a mechanic and didn't hunt. He didn't even know what hunting was. Sammy was in school and he was engaged to Jessica and he had no idea what hunting was. It was a normal life, but..." he trailed off. "But everyone you saved was dead," I concluded, knowing that would be the one thing that would bother him the most. "Yeah. Dad had died of a stroke, went in his sleep but...God, she was beautiful," he said, his voice going softer with a far away look in his eyes. A smile twisted Adam's lips as I watched him. "Your mom?" He nodded. "Just like I remembered her. She still made the best sandwiches." My smile widened at that. "What made you leave?" "No matter how much I wanted it to be, it wasn't real. I was dying and I couldn't leave Sammy or Dean on their own," he answered. "They'd probably stop hunting because I was dead. Or get revenge on every damn thing that walked the earth, getting their hole for sadness and grief filled little by little." "The shit we do for family," I grinned. He let out a soft laugh. Adam tensed, his arm tightening around my waist. His jaw had clenched tight and his eyes had a new hardness to them as he watched the stars. I decided to push him. "You can lie to Sam and Dean all you want, that's your business, but I'm not going to ignore the fact that every time you sleep you have a nightmare," I stated, my voice calm. "I'm not going to make you talk about it, I'd be a hypocrite if I did, but I just want you to know that... if it gets too hard to be in the same room with Sam and Dean then you can use me as an excuse for a walk out," I stated. Adam remained silent, his fingers pulling at the chain again. The silence returned but with a slight tension. We laid there for what felt like forever before my eyes started to slip closed. "Mia...Mia, wake up," Adam's voice cut through the darkness. My eyes snapped open and I found myself still on the hood of the Impala, pressed into Adam's side for the large amount of body heat he was giving off. His warm lips pressed against my neck and I smile. His lips captured mine and I sigh warmly. His hands hold my face gently and I nip at his bottom lip. He runs his hands though my hair and I moan quietly. His hands fall on my waist, hands moving in slow circles. I pulled myself back and looked around me, noticing that it was still dark but it had gotten colder. I looked back to Adam and found him watching me with a curious look. "What?" I asked, my voice grouchy. He shook his head. "Nothing. Come on, let's head in," he said, gently nudging me up. I pulled myself away from him and slid off the car, Adam lifted me up and wrapped his arms around me and I gave him a long kiss. We pull away and stare into each other's eyes before walking back to the motel, hand in hand. I could hear Adam behind me so I didn't bother to look behind me as I pushed the room door open and shuffle to the bed. I once again slid under the covers and snuggled down into the covers. I heard Adam rustle around a bit before I slid under the covers. He rolled to his side, his breath brushed the back of my head. "Mia?" "Yes?" His hands find my face again. "Come here." I lean down into his chest and blink. "I love you. Don't ever forget that." *The next morning* Me and Adam were sitting on the peer, Adam reading the newspaper while I watched the dark water. My eyes shifted over when I heard footsteps and nudged Adam when I saw who it was. He looked up and found Audrey walked with her rather tan mother and father, the now normal sized teddy-bear clutched in her arms, a botched patch job covering a hold in the back of it's head. Audrey waved to us, a bright smile on her face. Adam let out a small chuckle and waved after her before looking up to me with a smile of his own. I shook her head at him before getting up when Dean and Sam approached. "Well, the coin's melted down. It shouldn't cause any more problems," Sam stated, his voice tired. Dean gestured to the family that had just passed. "Audrey's parents are back from Bali. Looks like the wishes are gone," he said, looking around them. "And so are we," Adam stated before heading down the peer. "Come on, lets go." We leave, walking back to Adam and Sam. "Lets leave this place behind," Dean says, walking back to the impala. "Hey, Adam?" "Yes Mia?" "Can I get my hair dyed?" Sam turns to look at me, a questioning glance on his face. Dean's eyebrows furrow together, but he keeps his eyes on the road. Adam blinks. "Why?" "Every single demon on earth knows what I look like. My blonde hair sends up flags where I am. I think if I have a different hair color, maybe I could throw them off. And besides, I think I could get an anti-possession tattoo while I'm there." It stays silent for a few seconds. "Um, sure." Adam says. "Alright, that's settled." We drive to the nearest salon, which takes twenty minutes to get there. We go to the bittersweet salon and we wait a few minutes to get a seat. "Mia Comenzo?" A lady asks with black hair, tied in a braid, with a deep purple color accompanying her carefully styled hair. "Yes, that's me." I say, getting up from the chair. "My name is Lana and I will be doing your hair today. I understand that you want your hair dyed?" I nod. "Yes ma'am." I reply politely. Lana nods and her eyes flick to Adam, Sam and Dean. "And who are these lovely people?" She asks. "My name is Sam." Sam says politely, smiling softly. "My name is Dean." Dean says, winking at Lana. "My name is Adam." Adam says politely. "Adam Milligan Winchester?" She asks, her brow scrunching together a bit. My friends stiffen in their chairs. I search her for anything demonic in her. "Oh, relax dearies. I was a friend of your mother's." That word, mother, seems to catch Adam off guard. "Oh..." Adam says, still frowning, but I can hear his voice break at the mention of his mother. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt her." I blink again, relaxing. "Ok." "Follow me please." Lana said. I follow her into the back room. *Adam's POV* Lana is really nice. I wonder what Mia will choose as her hair dye. I doesn't matter what color it is, I'll still love her all the same. I'm not going to break her heart. I'm not that kind of person. She's so beautiful. I really hope she feels the same way about herself. Anyway, I honestly think that we're avoiding the topic of her self harm purposely. "Ew. This place reeks of perfume, sprays and stuff." Dean says disgustedly. Oh Dean. Usually he's the strong, intimating one, but now it looks like he's scared of perfume and giggling girls. He's not used to a beauty salon. Sam looks around, then his brown eyes look at Dean again. "I don't know Dean, all these girls are at ease here." Sam says, looking around at the girls. "Sammy your such a girl. I'm going to start calling you Samantha." Dean rolls his eyes. Sam punches his arm, a perfectly placed, very famous Sam Winchester bitchface masked on my brother's face. Dean's green eyes sweep the room. "All these girls are pretty here. Might be thinking of talking to one." "Dean, no. Their way too young." Sam says. Dean sighs. "Damn." His eyes sweep the room again. A younger girl, maybe around thirteen, blinks at Dean. She has blonde hair and blue eyes like Mia, but her hair is carefully straightened. Her mom smiles at her, and there's a man holding her mom's hand, which I assume is the girl's father. A baby is cuddled up in the women's arms, while there is a little girl, I assume she is the girl's sister, watching in awe. The girl in the chair looks a lot like Mia. Like, maybe she could've looked like that when she was younger. She smiles at me, laughs at something her hairdresser says, then turns her attention to Sam and Dean. Sam and Dean both frown at the girl, while the girl smiles warmly at them. "That looks like…" Dean mumbles. "It most certainly does look like Mia. Maybe the girl looks like what Mia could have looked like when she was younger." I say before anyone else can. "That's nice." Sam smiles, his tanned skin glowing a little bit in the light as he smiles. Dean nods in agreement, his eyes sweep the room, looking for a girl. Thirty five minutes later, Lana comes out of the back room with Mia. It's such a shock that to say that I barely recognize her. Her long blonde hair is even longer, but now it's a curly brown color, like chocolate. Her pale blue eyes shine in the light. She has light makeup on, which includes mascara, eye liner, pale pink lipstick on and a small touch of blush on. It makes her eyes shine and her hair light up. I'm tongue tied. Dean and Sam stare at her, too. It's like we're looking at a whole different person. "Well, how do I look?" She asks. "Good. Very good." I say immediately. "Yes." Sam and Dean agree. "Thank you, Lana." Mia says warmly. *Mia's POV* We thank Lana, and I hand her some money. "Oh, no thank you dearies, it was my pleasure. Call it a gift from me to you." Lana says. I nod and place the money into my purse again. "Thank you Lana." "Your welcome Mia." We leave the parlor and I smile. "Mia…you look really nice." Adam says again. "Thank you Adam." I say, curling my brown hair in my finger. "Come on. Where do you want to go next?" "I want to work a case. I'm bored out of my mind." I sigh. "Um, ok. Lets go look and see if there is anything we can research." Sam says. I suddenly I have a sharp pain in my legs and shoulders. I groan and hold my head. "Ow!" I say, stumbling to the ground. "Mia?" I know whose here. Lilith is here, stalking me. "Lilith." I grunt. My friends stiffen. We must have stayed still for a long time, because my legs burn and my mussels feel like jello. Lilith doesn't need my approval to kill everyone I love. She doesn't need my consent to ride around in my skin to roast the planet. She doesn't need anything, a yes, she can just possess me. She is not an angel. She is a demon. Why doesn't she just do it already? Maybe she wants me to suffer. "Come on. Lets get out of here." I say after what feels like forever of standing motionless. "Alright. Lets go." I say, venturing forward. Adam stops suddenly. "Hey, do you guys want to go to the beach?" Sam and Dean blink. I don't think they've ever gone to the beach before. "Um, ok." Dean says awkwardly. "Should we bring Samandriel and Cas? I'm sure they'll be interested." The boys nod, smiling. "Dear Castiel and Samandriel, thou art in Heaven…" I began. Not two seconds later Samandriel and Cas appear. "Yes?" Both angels ask. "Would you like to go swimming with us?" I ask. My two angelic friends nod, but they look unsure of themselves. They have never tasted ice cream, or went to the beach. Add that to the many list of things I'm sure angels haven't done that's fun, like going to an amusement park or eating nachos. Ah man. Work work work. Now that has to be stressful. "What is... this so called thing you call swimming?" Samandriel asks, blinking innocently. Oh boy. Here we go again. "Never mind." I say, dismissing the topic. "Alright… we need bathing suits." "Um, Mia…is this ok?" Dean asks awkwardly. "Yes!" I exclaim, throwing my arms up on his shoulders. "Dude, it's swimming. It's not gonna kill you." Dean sighs. "Fine." "Ok, um, things to get at a store…Bathing suits...Sunscreen...towels…food...water…" I mumble, making a list. Samandriel blinks. "Ok. We will go with you." He's still so confused about it. It's so adorable. I just want to hug him for being so innocent. He's like a cute child. He's so innocent that he doesn't even know it. He's basically my little brother. My little, innocent, sweet, angelic brother. "Pretty girl thinking about Samandriel as little brother?" Cas blurts out randomly. I simply nod. "Yeah. He's so cute it makes me want to hug him." "Aww. That's so sweet." Dean says in a high pitched, shrill voice. "You two should like, totally hug!" I reach over and poke his forehead. "Dude...! We totally should! Aww, I love you guys!" I say, pulling them into a hug. My friends just stand there. "Oh, Adam, come here." I smile, kissing his lips lightly. I have no idea what just came over me. I feel loved. "Hey, Adam," I say in a song song voice. "Yes?" "Carry on my wayward son. There'll be peace when you are done. Lay your weary head to rest, don't you cry no more." I sing, then kiss him. I smile again, pulling away. My friends look at me strangely. "Are you ok Mia?" I nod happily, my blue eyes shining. "IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY! I LIKE LAUGHING!" I yell, giggling. My friends blink. People around us stare at me, but I ignore them and twirl around, laughing. "Cas is she ok?" Adam whispers to him. "She's perfectly healthy." Cas replies back. "Come on, lets go!" I smile, singing happily. I grab Adams hand and skip merrily to the mall. *Dean's, Sam's and Adam's POV* What is happening to Mia? This is really strange. One minute she is sad, then all the sudden she's happy and dragging us to the mall. Oh well, at least she's happy. *Mia's POV* I laugh, skipping to the mall, and skip to Macy's. It's not that far, surprisingly. I grab a cart and walk around. "Okay…Lets see...bathing suits..." I mumble. I pick out a yellow colored two piece bathing suit with red roses on it. "Why do humans need so many clothes?" Samandriel asks shocked. "Because Sammy, humans need to be comfortable." I smile. I don't know why I am so happy, I just am. "Alright, it's time for you guys to pick out a bathing suit," I say to Sam, Adam and Dean. "I can trust you guys know where they are..?" My friends nod and start looking. Samandriel's wings stretch out fully, almost knocking over a shelf. "What do we do? We do not know what to pick out." Cas blinks. "Come on Angel Boys, let me show you." I say grabbing their hands. We walk around for a minute before I see a black bathing suit with white angel wings placed on it. It looks perfect for Castiel. My eyes widen and a small smile tugs at my lips. My smile grows as I see a tan one with white angel wings on it. My eyes light up again. This is perfect for Samandriel. I walk over to the changing rooms and hand them their bathing suits. "Here guys, go try these on." I smile. Samandriel and Cas nod, then disappear into the changing rooms. They come back instantly and they have their bathing suits on, but their arms are crossed over their chests, their clothes in a bag. They have tan flip flops on and they look extremely uncomfortable. "What's wrong?" I ask blinking. "We do not feel comfortable exposing so much skin." They say automatically at the same time. Ah, man. Brothers are awesome when they say stuff at the same time. "Oh, come on, you two look good." I scoff. "Can we buy it?" I nod. "Yeah, you two go change." They nod and leave, then come back and second later. Adam, Sam and Dean come back from browsing for bathing suits. Dean has plain an orange bathing suit, Sam has a tropical bathing suit, and Adam has a blue bathing suit. We buy towels and sunscreen for the beach. We buy the food and the bottles of water. "Alright. Lets go." We pay for everything and we exit the mall. "Um, sorry I kinda walked here without taking Baby with us." I say, sighing. Dean smiles wildly. "Oh my God Sammy, Adam, Mia called Baby well, Baby for the first time! OH MY GOD THIS IS A MIRACLE! ADAM YOUR GIRLFRIEND IS LEARNING FAST! I AM SO PROUD!" Dean yells, his eyes wide. "Your so weird Dean." Sam says, nudging his brother. "I know." I haven't seen Dean happy since eating ice cream. "I assume that you want immediate transportation to the Impala?" Samandriel asks. "Yes please." Sam says. Samandriel and Cas touch our foreheads and we're back in the Impala. "Alright. Put your clothes in the trunk and we can head out." Dean says. My friends get their clothes in the trunk and me and my friends go into the changing room to change. The sun kisses my skin and I sigh. I thankfully do not have any scars on my stomach from cutting. I haven't felt the urge to cut a few days. So that must be a good sign. I might be getting better. "Alright...are we ready?" I ask once we get out of the changing rooms. "Yes." Sam says. "Lets go!" I grin, grabbing Adam's hand. We run and our feet touch the sun baked sand as I giggle at the touch. I laugh, laugh for the first time in days, and run faster, kicking up sand. I look back, my eyes finding the rest of my friends. Sam and Dean are trying to get Cas and Samandriel to go onto the sand. They look terrified of it. I mean, they can gank demons and hunt monsters, but they are afraid of sand? "Come on, it's not that bad!" I hear Dean say. "But it looks hot!" I hear Samandriel complain. "Look at Mia and Adam, look how they are happy." And it's true, I am happy. I am happy for the first time in days. Adam has an amused grin on his face. "Come on. Lets go." Dean says, pushing our friends towards the sand. Samandriel and Cas freak out, and their wings expand fully, knocking Sam and Dean down. I skip towards them, dragging Adam along. "Come on Cas. Give me your hand." Cas's blue eyes grow wide. "Come on, it's not bad." "I am extremely uncomfortable with this thing you call sand." Cas says in a gruff voice. Tentatively, Cas gives me his hand. He steps down, his flip flops sinking into the sand. He lets out a breath he was holding. "The...sand is warm." He blinks. Dean smiles. "Come on Cas, it's just sand. You've faces much scarier things. Come on Castiel, you can do it." Samandriel blinks. "I will try to go in the thing that humans call sand." I nod, then grab his hand. Samandriel walks forward and his feet sink into the sand. He blinks, looking down at his feet. "Oh, come here Samandriel." I say. I give Adam a look that says 'can I hug him?' He nods. With permission granted, I wrap my arms around his shoulders and I can hear his heart beat faster. I wonder if its Alfie or Samandriel's heart beating. Ok, that's really weird. I pull away. "Come on guys, lets go." I smile, giggling. I run into the warm water, until my feet sink into the sand. I let a giggle slip out. I love the beach. I haven't been to the beach in a long time. I almost forgot what it feels like. All the sudden, I feel like there's a pair of eyes on me. I turn to see a teenaged boy with spiky brown hair staring at me. I instinctively cross my arms over my chest and stare back. "Hey baby. Your cute. I couldn't help but notice you." He says, smiling. Anger courses though my veins. "Fuck off." I hiss. "Feisty, huh? That's how I like 'em." This guys a creep! Oh god, something's going to happen. Something bad. My eyes grow wide, and my breath quickens. He moves closer to me, and I back up. I swim away from him, kicking my feet to splash water in his face. "Dean!" I call out, my voice breaking. I have no idea why I called out to Dean instead of Adam. Either way, I hope Dean kicks this guys ass. Dean turns, his eyes wide. He tells my friends to stay there, and he dives into the water. Adam's eyes grow wide when he sees me. He can't reach me, I'm too far out. The guy smirks, his fingers inch closer to me, and his hands grips waist and he pushes me against him. My eyes widen again. "Is that your friend? Oh well, I'll have you all to myself baby." The guy picks me up and throws me over his shoulder. "Put me down!" I yell, pounding my fists into his back. "Oh, stop screaming." The guy whispers in my ear. "Put me down or I will hurt you." I say, my voice deadly calm. "Aww, baby, your cute. Your threatening me, that's so adorable." Is he taking this like a joke? What, does he not believe that I could beat him up? "Why don't I show you how much I want you?" He whispers. No! His lips find my forehead. I scream at him to stop. "You know you love me." He bites my earlobe. I scream at him, which startles him. Dean pops out of the water suddenly. "Let go of her." Dean says angrily. "And whose gonna stop me?" The guy smirks and holds my head towards him and gives me a kiss on the lips. My eyes widen and I struggle to get out of his grasp. I feel wrong, violated, scared and sick. Dean's face grows bright red in anger. I could only imagine what Adam must be like. Dean's hands curl into tight fists. "Me." He snarls like a wild animal. I don't think I've seem him this mad, ever. His green eyes flash a thousand different type of violent emotions. And Dean's fist connects with his face. The guy is knocked out instantly. We splash to the ground, Dean catching me. The tears form and leak from my eyes immediately. "Shh, shh Mia it's ok. It's ok, I got you." "D-de...I felt so w-wrong! H-he k-kissed me! Ad-am!" I sob. "It's okay Mia. He's not going to hurt you." He whispers, kissing my forehead gently. "Your safe sweetheart, your safe." Dean swims back to the beach and lays down on the sand, out of breath. I sigh, but the tears still come. My eyes focus on Sam's tanned but worried face. "Sammy..." I grin. "You should have seen it...The guy...He-" I laugh. He frowns. "He tried to kiss me. But you should have seen it!" I laugh again, louder, less sane. "Deany-Beany got him right in the head! Knocked him out in one punch! I fell down, but Dean-o caught me! Addie looks mad. Don't be sad! Be happy! Yay!" I laugh. "Cassey, come here, come here!" I say, happy. "Yes pretty girl?" He asks. "I cutted my arms! See, look! Look!" I hold up my arms. "It's lovely, isn't it?" No one says anything. "Samandriel, can you heal Mia?" Sam asks quietly. He nods. He places two fingers on my head and I feel more alert. I gasp, my eyes growing wide. Adam plops down next to me and gives me a kiss. "Are you ok Mia?" I nod, coughing. "He-he kissed m-me Adam! Th-the guy kissed me! I feel s-so wrong!" "It's ok Mia." He says softly. I nod, but wrap my arms around him. I rest my head on his lap and look up at Adam. He leans down and kisses me passionately for a few minutes. I smile in between the kiss. He pulls away, but I grip his shoulders and pull myself up. "You are not leaving me." He whispers. "I wouldn't dream of it Adam. I'm yours." I whisper back. He smiles and grips my hand. My friends smile, but they don't say anything. I cup his cheek and press my forehead to his. He kisses me gently. "Yours, forever." I smile again. I sit on Adam's lap and he wraps his arms around me. Adam looks up at Dean, and Dean smiles back at his little brother. A thousand different kind of loving and sweet emotions swim in his eyes. I think him seeing me and Adam like this makes them, both Dean and Sam, happy. "Are we gonna get Samandriel and Cas into the water?" Castiel's and Samandriel's wings flutter nervously, but they nod. I grin. "Come on then," I smile. I grab their hands and walk slowly into the water. I look back and their wings flutter nervously. I roll my eyes, smile and pull my two angels into a hug. Samandriel and Cas blink. "It's not bad." I say warmly. They nod at the same time, and stick their feet in. "It is warm!" Samandriel exclaims. "It feels nice." Castiel sighs. I turn to Adam and Dean, but Sam isn't there. "Where is Sam?" "I'm not sure." I frown. He was there a second ago. I feel eyes on me. Two strong hands grip my waist and I'm lifted up out of the water. I yelp and turn around. Sam smiles. "Dude!" I exclaim, "Put me down, Sammy!" "Never!" He grins. "Your our little sister, and we love you." Dean smiles. "Aww! That's so sweet!" I exclaim in a high pitched voice. We all laugh. Adam dives into the water and takes me from Sam. I rest my head against his tanned chest and I can feel the heat radiate off his skin. He walks to the sand and places me on his lap again. I give him a quick kiss and lay down on top of him. His hands stroke my hair and he presses his body into mine. My hands rub his back and he sighs. He smiles and his hands latch onto my waist and I let out the tiniest of sighs. I press my lips softly against his and he grins and presses me tighter to him. I peck his lips against his before pulling away. "Babe, I want to teach Samandriel and Castiel how to swim." I whisper. He groans in disappointment. "Okay." He whispers. I smile and try to get off of him, but his hands grip my waist and stay there. "You are not getting away from me right now. I want you here, in my arms, where I know your safe." I smile and push my lips onto his. His hands find the my back and they grip lightly onto my bathing suit string. I grin, but push his hands away. I sit up and Adam's arms grips waist. "Guys, keep it G rated!" Dean says, covering his eyes. Adam rolls his eyes. "You've had sex more times than I can count, big bro, so I wouldn't be talking." Adam sighs. Dean's face turns red. His mouth opens as if he wants to say something, but closes it, just like a fish would. "Just teasing." Adam grins. Sam laughs. I smile. "Alright. I'm going to teach my two angels how to swim." I stand up and walk over to them. I give them a quick hug, then grab their hands. It takes a while, but my two angels are swimming like pros now. I feel so proud of myself. Eventually, we all end up in the water. "Adam," Samandriel asks, blinking innocently. "Alfie says we should have a splash fight. What is that?" Dean's lip makes it's way up in a twisted smile. Oh crap. "It's where you splash people with water in their faces and you try to make them quit." "Oh." He blinks. "Like this," Dean splashes Sam in the face. "Hey!" Sam exclaims, wiping his face with his hands. "He asked." Dean says shrugging. "Ugh. I"ll get you for that Dean." Sam grumbles. "Bring it on Sammy." Dean grins. Pretty soon we're all engaged in a pretty intense splash war. I pull Adam to the side and kiss him, with the water droplets raining down on us, splashing into the warm sea water. His arms wrap around my waist and he pulls me closer to him. We stay on the beach for another two hours. "That was fun." Cas comments. His wings stretch out. "Yeah, that was." Samandriel smiles. "Jimmy is happy." Castiel grins. "Alfie is too." A peaceful smile crosses my lips. "I'm glad." Adam's arm wraps around my shoulder. "I'm gonna go get changed." I give Adam a quick peck on on the cheek and grab my stuff from the Impala. I get changed quickly and walk out of the changing room. "Alright. Lets go." Dean claps once and we leave the beach. "Thank you for taking us to the beach Mia." Samandriel and Cas say once we get back to the motel. "Your welcome." "We must go." They disappear. Adam sits on the chair and I walk over to him and sit down on the opposite chair. I rest my hand on his hand and we stare into each others eyes. "I love you." He says. "I love you too." His lips crash onto mine and I smile. Sam and Dean grin. "Aww. Our little brother's a man." Dean sighs warmly. "Adam, you and Mia are meant to be." Sam smiles. We smile at each other and I rest my head on his lap and Adam twirls my brown hair in his finger. "I love you." He whispers. I felt my eyes start to close. "Love you too Adam." *Two months later, Adam's POV* The Impala was parked on an out-of-the-way road in front of a gate that clearly hadn't been opened in several years, because it was rusting everywhere. Me and Mia were once again shoved into the back, Me sprawled out with my beautiful girlfriend laying on my chest, making use of the space we were given, a fuzzy blanket wrapped around her. Sammy was sleeping in shotgun, his head lolled on the window, supported by his arm. My eyes cracked open when Mia once again changed her position on top of me. I pushed himself up a little higher, moving slow enough not to wake Mia and looked around, a frown pulling at his lips when he found his eldest brother awake. "What are you doing?" I asked, keeping my voice low enough so I didn't wake Mia and Sam. Dean kept his eyes on the papers in front of him as he spoke. "What's it look like I'm doing?" he questioned back. "Like you're looking for a job," I answered, my tone tired. "Yahtzee," Dean said a little too perky for it being so late. I let out a long sigh as I raised a hand to rub at my eyes. "We just finished a job, like, two hours ago," I stated. "Adrenaline's still pumping, I guess," Dean stated before looking back at his brother. "So, what do you think? Cedar Rapids, Tulsa, or China Town?" I let out another tired sigh. "I am all for working. I really am but you've got us chasing cases nonstop for like, two months now. We need sleep." "We can sleep when we're dead," Dean said, looking back to the papers. "You're exhausted, Dean." "I'm good," Dean stressed a little louder. "No, you're not. You're running on fumes, and you can't run forever," I tell him, my tone a little accusing. Dean paused for a moment before throwing his arm over the back seat to look at me. "What am I running from?" he demanded. I looked to my brother with a tired annoyance. "From what you told Sammy." Dean stared at me. "Or are we pretending that never happened?" *Dean's POV* I shot a glance over at the sleeping Mia, remembering how I had promised her to think of option 2 and how when I had actually told Sam about Hell, a little part of me felt better, but other part of me was screaming at me to keep my little brother in the dark, to keep him from what had happened in The Pit. I decided to listen to the screaming part and looked back to the papers once again. *Adam's POV* "Stratton, Nebraska. Farm Town. Man gets hacked to death in a locked room inside a locked house, No signs of forced entry." I was getting tired of arguing with Dean, so I went along with his avoidance. "Sounds like a ghost," I stated. "Yes, it does," Dean stated. I groaned quietly before letting myself slump back, pulling Mia a little closer to me. *Dean's POV* I looked at my baby brother in the rear view mirror before letting my eyes close as I swallowed hard. My head snapped over to look at Sam when his feet stretched. I found him sitting up, his eyes blinking slowly as he looked out the windshield. "You okay?" I asked. Sam smacked his lips together before looking over at me with blurry eyes. He let out a small groan before lowering himself back onto the seat. I let out a small groan and let my head fall against my hand, and I fall asleep. *Mia's POV* Dean guided the Impala up the drive, the farm house looming at them from a let go yard. We crawled out of our seats and headed up to the front of the house. I raised my head to look at the house, a frown pulling at my lips. "I don't like houses like these," I stated. Sam looked over at me, his brow puckered. "Why?" "Acres of land around you, no neighbors for miles so if you screamed because some damn killer was in your house no one would hear you. I swear, that is a really fucking good job they did there, placing a god damn random house in the middle of fucking nowhere." I explained, my tone slightly monotone. "You're really not a morning person, are you?" Sam asked, looking over his shoulder at me. "Not when I'm woken at the ass crack of dawn," I answered, pushing my sunglasses higher up the bridge of my nose. "It's 10 in the morning," Sam reminded me, glancing down at his watch. I flipped the overly tall man off before following Adam and Dean up the front steps. Dean pulled out his lock pick set and went to work on the lock, getting it open surprisingly fast and ushering the rest of us in. We walked through the empty house, our eyes looking for anything out of the ordinary. "Boy, three bedrooms, two baths, a large living room and one homicide," Dean said as we stepped into the living room. "This place is gonna sell like hotcakes." I let out a soft chuckle as I shook my head. "You'd be surprised how much people will overlook if the price is right," I said before making my way towards the kitchen. "It's a farm house with fertile land, it'll go faster than you think," I said before pausing as a shiver went up my spine. I spun around to look behind me but only found Adam, who seemed to be in the same state as me. Adam narrowed his eyes as he scanned the room, trying to see if he could get anything off the room, anything Supernatural. He looked back to me and shook his head, telling me that he got nothing. I pursed my lips and followed behind Dean and Sam. The kitchen was a pale yellow with a cracked floor. They were searching through the cupboards when Dean found a patch over job on the wall. "Hey, check this out," he said, tapping his knuckles against the plaster. "Huh." "It's probably a dumbwaiter. All these old houses had them," Sam stated, dismissing it quickly. Dean frowned as he watched his brother walk away. "Know-it-all," he muttered after him. "What?" Sam asked, looking back at him. "What?" Dean shot back, faking innocence. "You said…" Sam trailed off, clearly a little confused. "What?" Dean asked again. Sam watched him for a moment before dismissing it again. "Never mind." We continued through the house, Sam pulling out his EMF as they ended up in the last room. "No blood stains, fresh coat of paint. It's a bunch of bubkes," Dean stated, looking the room over. "Needle's all over the place," Sam stated, not wanting to dismiss a case. Dean squinted out the window. "You got power lines," he said, pointing to the towers. Sam let out a frustrated sigh and shoved his EMF back into his pocket. "Great. That's useless." I stepped passed him and went to the closet, grabbing the handle and opening it. My eyes scanned it before I looked to the floor before a small scream left me as I jumped back. My friends rushed over to me but stopped when they found the decrepit dolls head sitting on the hard wood floor. "Ugh," Sam said, his nose scrunching up in disgust. Adam looked down at the head as I moved behind him, putting distance between myself and the head. "Well, that's super disturbing," he stated, although slightly amused by my reaction. "Think it got left behind?" Sam asked, watching with suspicion as Dean crouched down in front of it to get a better look at it. "By who?" Dean asked back, his eyebrows shot up. "Unless Bill Gibson likes to play with doll heads." Sam let out a humorless laugh. "Adam, don't touch it!" I snapped over Dean's shoulder as I watched he reach out towards the head. "Sam, stop him," I said, nudging Sam's arm. Sam rolled his eyes as he stepped forward and pull Adam back up to his feet. He opened his mouth to comment but paused when he heard the sound of a car engine outside the house. We all moved over to the window and found a Jeep Rangler and a moving van making their way up the drive. "Uh-oh," Sam breathed. "I thought you said this place was still for sale?" Dean asked. "Apparently it's not," Sam answered, getting a glare from his brother. I shook my head. "I told you people overlook things." Dean shot her his own glare before heading out of the room. They all jogged back down the stairs as the family pulled themselves out of the car. I grabbed Adam's arm and stopped him from going out the front door. "We're going to wait in the Impala," I stated, getting the boys to pause. "It'll look weird if there's four of us." Sam nodded, seeing my logic. "Okay, we'll take care of this," he said before leading Dean out of the house. I pulled Adam out of the house and to the Impala, practically pushing him into the car before slamming the door behind me. "Why did it feel like we were being watched the entire time we were in that house?" Adam demanded. I looked out the window to the house, narrowing my eyes at it. "It could possibly be the ghost," I suggested, although I had a feeling it wasn't a ghost at all. Adam shook his head. "No, I don't think it's a ghost," he stated, also switching his gaze to the house. "I didn't feel anything from the house, nothing. I usually get a tingle or a cold spot when it's a ghost but I got nothing," He stated. I couldn't help but nod. "I usually see a slight fog," I agreed. "What the hell do you think it is?" He asked. I shrugged. "A serial killer with rather impressive lock skills?" Adam rolled his eyes at me. "And then there's that," he muttered, leaning back into his seat, his hand going to his eyes as she rubbed at them tiredly. "I really don't understand why Dean's pushing us so hard." "Yes you do," I said, my tone slightly accusing. Adam let out a long sigh. "Yeah, yeah I do," He said, letting his head roll over to the side. "You've talked to him, right?" I nodded and slumped down in the seat. "Yeah, but I don't think I got to him," he said. "He's a Winchester, All of you are hard to get through." I said as if that was the answer to everything. Adam smiles. "Yeah, yeah we are." I rolled my eyes and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead. I perked up when I spotted Sam and Dean walking towards the car. "What did you tell them?" He asked as I pulled myself out to climb into the back with Sam as Dean got behind the wheel. "That we were code enforcement and that there was Asbestos and a gas leak," he answered. "We got them to stay in a motel for the night." I blinked lazily at him. "The same motel that we were going to stay at?" I asked. Dean paused in his movements, his mind working through it. "Crap." I let out a groan. "Please tell me we're not going to have to sleep in the Impala again," I pleaded, my hands moving to grab his arm as I shook it a little. Dean looked at me and pushed my hands off of him. I sigh and walk over to Adam and jump into his arms and wrapping my legs around his waist. "I'm sure there's more than one motel in town," he told me. I glared at him as he started up the Impala. "There better be." I sighed. "Do you have the case file?" Dean asked as he and Sam pulled on their ties. "Right here," I answered, pulling the file up on my laptop. "What do you want?" "The person who found the bodies," he answered, leaning over me as he struggled to tie his tie. I squinted as I read through the file. "A Mrs. Curry found the bodies. She's the house keeper," I answered, looking over her shoulder before letting out a sigh when I saw him struggling. I spun around in my chair and shooed his hands away as I tied the tie for him. "Alright, so, me and Sammy are going to go talk to, uh, Mrs. Curry while you and Adam do some research about the house," he said, leaning up once I had finished his tie. I nodded as I turned back to the file, my hands reaching for the notepad and pen. "Here's her address," I said as I wrote it down and held it up to him. "Call me when you're done with the interview." Dean looked over at me with a raised eyebrow but didn't argue. "Will do," He answered before gesturing for Sam to head out. Adam watched as his brothers left before he flopped back onto the bed he had claimed as his and mine. "This is a little bullshit," I stated. "There's something in that house and neither of us know what the hell it is," I said, my tone clearly bitter. I looked though a few more notes but found nothing. "What the hell is in that house?!" I snapped. "I know something was watching us." Adam nodded. "Something was defiantly watching us, I got that much." A growl escaped me as she looked through Mr. Gibson's file, reading anything I could. Adam closed his eyes and ran through the layout of the house from memory. "Did you see a cellar door anywhere?" I paused and looked off to the side as I thought of the layout myself. I shook my head after a moment. "No, I didn't. And he had sealed off the dumbwaiter too." "Maybe the things in the basement?" Adam suggested. "And Mr. Gibson had to have known about it to cover up the dumbwaiter," I concluded, turning in my chair to look at him. "But what the hell is it?" Adam let out a sigh as he shook his head. "The hell is if know," he answered before pushing himself up to his feet. "I'm going to get a shower while I can," he stated before heading into the bathroom. I watched the door for a moment before also pushing myself to my feet and heading towards the other bed. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and tossed it on Adam's side of the bed as I took my own spot. I rolled onto her stomach, turned my head to right and closed my eyes, hoping that I would actually get some sleep. My eyes cracked open as my hand snaked across the bed to grab my phone. "Yeah?" I asked, my voice a little thick from sleep. "Alright, so Mrs. Curry said that although she's been working for Mr. Gibson for 5 years she really didn't know that much about him. What she did know, however, is that his wife died in child birth and then his daughter hung herself 12 years later." Charlie perked up at that. "Then it could be the wife's or the daughter's ghost?" she asked. "Nope. Both the wife and daughter were cremated," Dean answered. "Let's not rule it out," I told him, knowing for a fact that just because you're cremated didn't mean there wasn't a piece of you somewhere to cling onto. "That's our strongest bet at the moment." "She did say that she heard rustling inside the walls." "That's a poltergeist sign," I stated. "They usually don't kill that messy though." "She also said that things didn't move and there were no flickering lights." I sighed and let my head fall back onto my pillow. "We've really got nothing going for us on this case, do we?" I asked, my voice muffled by the pillow. "We're had less and still come out on top," he tried to reassure me. I just groaned into the phone. "Listen, we're coming back to get you two so we can go look at the house again," he told me as the sound of the engine became the background noise. "Make sure you're ready when we get there." I pushed myself up onto my elbows, liking the idea of a second look at the house. "Okay, Adam and I had some questions about that place. We'll be ready." "See you in a few minutes." I tossed my phone away from me when he hung up and looked to the other bed to find my boyfriend sprawled out on the mattress. I grabbed one of my pillows and threw it at Adam's head, making him jump out of her skin. "What?!" He yelped, suddenly on high alert. "The boys are coming back to get us so we can go back to the house," I explained as I got up and walked over to my bag to pull out a fresh pair of clothes. "I want to check out that cellar theory of yours." I told him before walking into the bathroom and started to get changed. They rolled to a stop just before the drive way, all four heads looking to the well-lit house with the two familiar cars parked in front. Dean let out a frustrated sigh. "Crap," He grunted, letting his hands fall down to his lap. "So, what now?" "We could tell them the truth," Sam suggested. Dean looked over to him with a surprised look. "Really?" "No. Not really," Sam answered with a rather monotone voice. "What is the truth?" I asked, leaning over the front seat. "We literally have no idea what's in that house." Dean let out another frustrated sigh. "Well, what was your and Adam's idea? The one you mentioned." I looked over my shoulder to Adam who had been lightly dozing in the seat next to me. With a sharp elbow jab to the ribs he was awake and ready for anything. Adam blinked a few times as I pulled myself from my sleepy state. "Uh, I noticed that there wasn't a cellar door," I explained, letting my chin rest on the seat. "And the fact that Mr. Gibson closed off the dumbwaiter was a little suspicious. Kind of makes you wonder what's down there." Sam shrugged. "Well, maybe he didn't need the cellar anymore?" Adam rolled his eyes. "He lived on a farm, believe me, he needed the cellar." He stated before looking to Dean. "Are we just going to wait out here till they fall asleep or something?" I let out a snort. "Then what? Break into their house and sneak around? The only good that'll come from that is the chance of Dean getting shot." "Hey!" Dean snapped, looking back at me with a hard glare. I smiled kindly at him before pinching his nose and jerking it side to side. Dean pulled away from me, his hand going to his nose. Sam rolled his eyes at us. "I don't think breaking into their house is a good idea," he stated, looking to Adam. "We should come back tomorrow morning and get them to leave again." He thought for a moment before looking back to the house. "But something is in that house. Something that we know nothing about. We could come back in the morning and find them all dead." Sam winced at that. "I know but we don't have much of a choice." "We should try-" A series of screams cut him off as he began to argue. They all jumped out of the Impala and ran to the house, Dean banging on the front door which was answered. "We heard screams. What's going on?" Dean demanded, pushing through the door and heading into the house, Sam following behind him. Me and Adam stood on the porch, having seen that the family was fine and glared openly at the Dean and Sam who had shown no manners in entering the house. The father turned to the boys. "Oh, you two. Did you touch my daughter?" he demanded. That pulled Dean up short. "What? No." I wanted to laugh. Dean isn't a pedophile! "Who are you guys?" he asked, clearly not comfortable with the men in his house. "Relax, please," Sam pleaded, trying to keep the tension down. I looked behind my when a whimper reached my ears. A Border Collie stood on the porch a few feet away from me, staring off. "You have a ghost," Sam told them. "A ghost?" the dad demanded. The daughter pulled away from her mother and stepped forward. "I told you!" she yelled. "It's the girl," the son defended, joining his sister. The father turned around and grabbed both his children by the shoulders. "Both of you, relax," he told them before addressing Dean and Sam again. "What are you guys playing at?" "Your family is in danger. You need to get out of the house now," Dean told him, his voice taking its Winchester Authority. I let out a small groan when the lights flickered before going out. "Really?" she demanded, looking up the ceiling. "What the hell?" the father asked. "Nobody move!" Dean barked. Adam jumped when the dog suddenly tore off of the porch and towards the back of the house. His heart almost broke when he heard the painful whimpering and yelps. "Buster!" the son yelled before taking off upstairs, the sister following him. I grabbed Adam's hand and pulled him to the edge of the porch, almost scared to look any farther from the noises the dog was making. "Buster!" the father shouted, stepping out the house and standing near the girls. "Buster!" he shouted. Dean and Sam followed the father and his brother out of the house, hearing the dog. With a louder yelp of pain Adam was off the porch, dragging me around to the garage. "What the hell?" the father asked when he spotted the trail of blood on the grass. All eyes followed the red trail to the words that were smeared on the side of the moving trailer. 'Too late.' "That's sick," I muttered, understanding Adam's uneasiness. "Buster!" We all looked up and found the wife, daughter, and son standing on the porch, a few feet away. "Go back inside. Go," the father said, wanting to keep his children from seeing the mutilated corpse of their dog. The wife gathered up her kids and ushered them back inside. Dean took the chance to speak. "We are not the bad guys, but you're in danger," he told them. Sam didn't give them a chance to argue. "First things first, you gotta get your family out of here." The father looked to his brother before back to the bloody writing, seeming to make up his mind that there was a defiant danger. "Head to the motel I was talking about. You'll be safe there," Dean said as they all headed towards the cars. He paused however when he saw that the Impala's tires had been slashed. "On no, baby!" he groaned, moving forward to look at the damage. "Oh, come on." Sam moved around to the trunk and popped it open only to find that all of their weapons were gone. "Dude, the guns are gone. So's the-" he broke off with a frustrated sigh before slamming the trunk. "Basically everything is gone," he told him. "The truck's no good. Both tires are slashed," the dad said as he walked back over to his family. Dean glared openly at the house. "What kind of ghost messes with a man's wheels?!" he yelled at it. "What's going on?" the daughter asked before letting out an ear splitting scream. "She's there! She's there!" she shouted, looking to the bushes around the house. "Where?" the wife asked. "She was right there in the woods!" she shouted as me and Dean moved forward, both with flashlights in hand as they looked at the tree line. "What's a ghost doing outside?" Dean asked, keeping his voice low enough so the family didn't hear. I shook my head. "First time for everything," I said before turning back to the family. "We're going to go back inside, okay?" I asked, putting a small smile on my face as I looked to the kids. "Are you crazy?" the brother asked, looking to her with wide eyes. "We need to get the hell out of here!" I went to speak but Dean cut me off. "In what? This ghost is hunting us!" He yelled back, stepping forward to stand between the brother and me. "Everybody back inside now. Move!" he barked. I pushed the family forward, Adam soon joining my side as we went back inside the house. "Go into the living room," I told them, pushing them in that direction. "What the hell is going on?" the mom demanded, holding onto her kids in a death grip. I glanced at Adan before taking in a deep breath. "I'm Mia and this is my boyfriend Adam, the loud guy is Dean, and the tall guy is his brother Sam," I introduced. The wife looked over to her husband before back to me. "I'm Susan," she said, her voice a little weak. "Brian," the dad said, giving them a guy nod. The brother gave a small nod. "Ted." The daughter swallowed hard. "My names Kate." "I'm Danny," the son said. I nodded and gave them another smile. "Nice to meet you." Ted let out a snort. "Yeah, it's a real pleasure." "Yes," I said, pointing to him. "Sarcasm, that's what this situation needs." He glared at her. "Alright, we got salt," Dean said, walking back into the room with Sam on his heels. He crouched down and started to make the salt ring around the family. "Whatever's outside, it can't get in this circle," he explained. "As long as the salt line is unbroken, this is the safest place to be." "Safe from ghosts?" Brian asked, his voice skeptical. Dean looked over his shoulder at him, a rather annoyed look on his face. "Yes, as a matter of fact." Brian watched him for a moment before shaking his head. "Okay, I'm not listening to this anymore. Come on," he said, moving to his family. "I gotta get my family out. Let's go." Dean stood up, his annoyance growing bigger. "Nobody's going until we kill this thing." Sam backed his brother up, moving in front of the man as he started to lead them away. "Sir, please, this is what we do. Just trust us." "You hunt ghosts?" Danny questioned, his tone a little hopeful. Adam, hearing the hopefulness stepped forward and kneeled in front of him. "Yes we do," he answered, a smile pulling at his lips. He smiled back. "Like Scooby-Doo?" Adam chuckled. "Yep, I'm Velma's brother, Charlie's Daphne, Dean's Fred, and Sam's Shaggy," she said, chuckling lightly. Dean shot her a glare but kept quiet, knowing that it had cheered the kid up. Sam cleared his throat and walked over to Kate. "You saw her outside, right?" Kate nodded, still looking a little scared. "Okay, does she look like either one of these girls?" he asked, pulling out two photos from his jacket. Kate looked them over before pointing to the picture of the daughter. "Her. She was paler and a lot dirtier, but that was her," she told him, her tone strong. Danny stepped forward, glancing at photo. "That's the girl in the walls," he stated. Sam glanced back at Dean. "So it's the daughter?" he asked, seeming a little confused. Susan struggled for a moment. "That girl in the picture, she's-she's dead?" she asked, pointing to the faded picture. Sam hesitated before answered. "She killed herself inside this house." Susan's mouth dropped open as she looked to her husband in blatant surprise that he had let them stay in the house. I shook my head. "I told you people over look things for the right price," I said before Dean pulled her over with him and Sam, Adam following. Dean shot her a glare but kept quiet, knowing that it had cheered the kid up. Sam cleared his throat and walked over to Kate. "You saw her outside, right?" Kate nodded, still looking a little scared. "Okay, does she look like either one of these girls?" he asked, pulling out two photos from his jacket. Kate looked them over before pointing to the picture of the daughter. "Her. She was paler and a lot dirtier, but that was her," she told him, her tone strong. Danny stepped forward, glancing at photo. "That's the girl in the walls," he stated. Sam glanced back at Dean. "So it's the daughter?" he asked, seeming a little confused. Susan struggled for a moment. "That girl in the picture, she's-she's dead?" she asked, pointing to the faded picture. Sam hesitated before answered. "She killed herself inside this house 14 years ago." Susan's mouth dropped open as she looked to her husband in blatant surprise that he had let them stay in the house. I shook my head. "I told you people over look things for the right price," I said before Dean pulled her over with him and Sam, Adam following. "So, what, the maid got her story wrong. Rebecca wasn't cremated?" Dean asked. "Unless her spirit's attached to something inside the house," Sam explained. I nodded. "She hung herself so the rope she used would have skin cells on it, maybe enough to attach herself to," I said, looking to Adam for confirmation. Adam nodded. "There would be enough skin on it," he agreed. Dean jumped at the idea. "She hung herself in the attic, right?" he asked. "You wanna babysit and I'll check it out?" Sam asked before Ted walked over. "Look, I don't care who hung themselves where. Maybe something is going on, but-" "It's a spirit, man," Dean tried but Ted ignored him. "It's a some hillbilly slut and a bitch, and I'm not about to sit around here waiting for her to go Deliverance on my ass," he stated. Dean shook his head. "No, nobody's leaving the house." "Stop me," he said before moving away. Dean moved to do something but was beat by me. I grabbed his arm and twisted it around to his back, locking it into place while my other hand went to his shoulder, squeezing it tightly as I rested my chin on his other shoulder, smiling nonchalantly. "Listen, Ted," I said, her voice an eerie calm and quiet. "I have gun hidden in a very clever place, and if you refuse to step into that circle, I will not regret giving you a third hole, got it Ted?" I said, smiling calmly. There was a tense moment of silence before Ted gave a short nod. I let him go and he walked back into the salt circle. I watched him for a moment before walking back to the others. "You don't have a gun," Sam stated. I smirked. "No, but I have a knife and I'm going to try my hardest to make sure no one else dies in this house. I am going to kill the evil whore. That mother fucking bitch is so dead." The others looked at her for a moment. Sam cleared his throat. "Are you okay?" he asked. I twitched a little. "I like dogs," I stated before jerking my head towards the stairs. "Go, we'll watch the family," I told him. Adam perked up a little. "I'll go with you. I want to see if there's a cellar door," he explained. He gave me a kiss on the lips before walking off with him. With a sigh Dean turned back to the family, looking them all over before he started to pace. I walked over and took a seat in one of the armchairs, watching the impatient man move. Ted crouched down and poked at the salt line. "Hey, Fonzie. Question for you." Dean shot me a glare, I snickered. "This indestructible force field made out of salt," he said, standing to look at him. "Does it have to be kosher stuff or what?" "Knock it off, Ted," Susan said, glaring at the her brother. I let out a long sigh, catching their attention. "The practice of putting down an enclosing ring of salt for protection came from a lore that said a vampire or demon cannot cross the line without counting each grain. The impossibility of this task thus prevents the demon from crossing the ring, and thus a thicker line is used where the threat is greater. According to Christian demonology, demons and the Devil in particular hate salt. Salt is used as a talisman against evil, sometimes wearing rock salt around their necks, preemptive defensive magic, to dispel enchantment, and is used in a variety of spells both ancient and modern. The popularity of salt could be related to the fact that salt is a natural preservative and antiseptic that has long been used as a purifying agent in folk magic. In some Christian rituals of baptism, especially in Catholicism, salt is put on the lips of the child during the ceremony of the baptism as a symbol of wisdom." The Carter family and Dean watched me with bland expression. "You sound like my History teacher," Kate stated, her voice soft. "Does your History teacher own assholes who don't understand the concept of manners?" I questioned, my eyes still on Ted. Kate went to answer but paused when a creak close by echoed through the room. "What was that?" We looked around the room before we spotted the closet door across the room slowly start to open. My hand hovered open at my side, waiting for an excuse to pull my surgical steel knife out. My eyes widened when I saw the pale arm pushing the door open, followed by an equally pale body. Dean reached over and grabbed a fire place poker, holding it defensively in front of him. "Everybody stay calm. She's a ghost. She can't come in the circle." We all watched with fear and panic as the girl stepped closer and closer till she reached the edge of the salt ring. The fear and panic raised in level when the girl placed her foot on the other side of the salt. "I thought you said ghosts couldn't cross the circle?" Kate demanded as she clung to her mother's side. "They can't. She's not a ghost," Dean answered as the girl raised her hand which was clutching a knife. Ted reached out and grabbed my shoulder, shaking me slightly. "Shoot her!" he shouted. I winced at that. "Yeah, I lied to you," I started. "Dean, get them out of here," I ordered. Dean went to argue when the girl screamed and lunged forward, swinging the knife wildly. "NO! Dean!" I lunged in front of Dean, my right leg coming up in front of him, the girls knife embedding in my thigh instead of Dean's torso, a very loud scream of pain coming from me when the knife was pulled out. Dean pushed me away from him, not wanting me to get hurt further than I already had by the girl's wild swings. But I got up again. I. Will. Not. Let. Him. Die. Having no weapon himself, he did his best to guard everyone, but before he knew it the girl had advanced and he found himself on the floor with her on top of him, slashing with her knife. "Hey!" Dean looked over to find Sam standing in the doorway, flashlight aimed at the girl's face. The girl let out a scream of pain and ran back to the closet she had come from, leaving a bleeding Mia and a slightly shocked Dean. Sam ran to the closet and opened the doors, finding that the girl was gone. He looked back over to his brother, checking him over to see if he was okay. "You alright?" he asked. Dean nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine," he answered. "Well, now that we've assessed that the Winchester brothers are okay, how about we look at the bleeding Comenzo girl?" The rather angry, pained filled voice of mine asked from my spot on the floor. Sam turned his flashlight on me and ran to me when he saw the puddle of blood around my leg. "Jesus, did she do that?" he asked, crouching over my leg as he looked over the damage. I nodded. "Mia?" My head dropped to the side when Adam's voice reached me, finding him rushing into the room. "Help me please," I said, the pain starting to annoy me. It burned badly. Adam blinked and kneeled next to me, pulling Sam's hand away as he looked at the wound. "Well, she missed any major arteries, so you're not going to bleed to death," He told me before putting pressure on my femur, "She also missed the bone so we don't have to worry about cracks or fractures. As long as we keep it wrapped, cleaned, and I can treat it after this, you'll be fine," he said, smiling brightly at me. I stared at him in mild contempt. "I fucking hate you," I stated before pushing myself up into a sitting position. "No you don't. You love me and you know it." I smiled. "Right." He leaned in and gave me a kiss on the lips. "This was one of my favorite shirts," I stated as I pulled the black and gray flannel off. "We'll get you a new one," Adam promised before looking to his brothers. "Go check on the family," I told them as I tore my shirt into strips. The brothers nodded and left them in the room. Better to have my boyfriend help me than his brothers. "So, how did this happen?" Adam asked as he wrapped my shirt around my injured leg. I chuckled humorlessly. "Girl took a stab at Dean so I got in her way. Figured a wounded leg was better than a disemboweled Dean Winchester." Adam shook his head as he tied the makeshift bandage off. "Well, you've managed to-" I cut off when screams from 'Danny.' "They managed to lose a child," he said. "Shit," I growled, pushing myself to my feet. I grunted lightly as I moved to the porch, Adam right behind me. I made it to the railing and braced myself against it, watching Brian reassure Susan that they would get their son back as she continued to yell. Already annoyed with the family I let out a whistle that my mother had taught me, successfully ending all forms of talking. "I hate to take sides but Susan is right," I informed them. "The safest place for you at the moment, until we get your son back, is the shed around back." Kate shook her head in defiance. "I am not going in there either," she stated. I shook my head. "It's not up for discussion. At the moment it's the best defense. There's only one entrance, the windows have been boarded up, and I'm more than sure that there are more than enough tools in there that can used as a weapon. That's your best chance at survival." Brian thought about that for a moment before nodding and turning to his wife and daughter. "Susan, Kate, go," he said before pushing them towards the direction. "Go." "Mia, you should go with them," Sam said, looking up at me. I glared at him. "I'm wounded, not cripple," I stated. "The more eyes you have out here the better," I stated, my voice leaving no room for argument. Sam shook his head. "They need someone in there with them and you're the only one with a real weapon," he told me, giving me his puppy dog eyes. Adam looked between Sam and me before leaning in to whisper to me. "Do you honestly want to put up with Ted and a bleeding leg?" Another growl left me as I nodded. "Alright, fine. I'll babysit the hysterical females," I grumbled before limping down the stairs and towards the shed. "I'll scream if I need you," I said. The trek to the shed took longer than I would have liked and when I reached it I gave a sharp rap on the door. "W-Who is it?!" Susan yelled from inside. I let out a sigh. "It's Mia." The sound of things being moved filled the air before the door opened, Susan peeking around the edge. I flashed her a smile before stepping inside. "So, there any board games in here? Cookies? Maybe some barbecue?" Susan looked to me with wide eyes as Kate continued to put the barricade back up. "Do you think this is funny?" she asked, her voice harsh. I glanced at Kate, who seemed paler that before, and shook my head. "Will you slap me if I say yes?" I asked. Susan stepped forward, her hands clenching. I stood my ground. "It's funny because I'm actually scared of a Human," I stated. I have been now, for a while. Well, its because of what my dad did to me. So I am scared. But that was before I learned what goes-bump-in-the-night. Now I'm scared of demonic sons of bitches eating my face and murdering me. Now that's scary! Susan stopped short. "What?" "Everything we said about ghosts was real," I started, walking over to the wall and lowering myself to the floor slowly. "We hunt ghosts and other supernatural creatures for a living, well, not a living cause no one ever pays you, but we do this every day of our lives," I explained, looking up to Susan. "We face nightmares every day with a smile on our faces but you throw a Human at us and we're more than willing to run," I said, chuckling humorlessly. Kate scooted a little closer to me, curiosity on her face. "So, you've done something like this before?" I nodded. "Not exactly like this but we've done Human before," I answered before letting out a sigh. "Me and my friends were following what we thought was a Shapeshifter. We followed the trail of bodies from Florida all the way to Utah till we finally caught up with it. We go down into the sewers where it had made its lair, silver bullets and all, only to find out it's a Human," I said, shaking my head. "A serial killer that adapted to his victims lives, becoming his victims." "That's not uncommon though," Susan said, shaking her head. "This man's body count was in the very, very high thousands, and that's just what we knew of," I told her. "Not even a Shapeshifter would burn through bodies that fast. At least Shapeshifters have a reason behind killing, this man did it for the fun. The sheer pleasure of hearing them scream, watching the light go out in their eyes...?" I paused to shake my head. "Monsters I get, I absolutely get that. Humans I don't. Humans are just sick, twisted and crazy." There was a silence in the shed as the woman took in what I had just told them. Kate was the first to react, moving closer to me and sitting next to me, her eyes on my leg wound. "So, you fight monsters?" she asked, her voice quiet. I nodded. "Yep." "There's enough for you to actually, like, hunt?" A chuckle escaped me. "Trust me, you don't want to know the population count," I told her. Kate swallowed hard. "What are the most common?" I glared up at the ceiling as I thought. "I would have to say ghosts," I answered, nodding to myself. "They're everywhere." "Seriously?" "You just gotta know how to look," I told her, letting my head drop to the side so I could look at the girl. "It's easy enough, most people have seen a ghost or two in their lives." "What about demons?" I nodded. "The easiest way to check and not get in trouble if they're not a demon is to say Cristo." Kate's face scrunched up. "Cristo?" "It's Latin for God. They're eyes will turn all black. Now, it's a great way to check if they don't turn out to be a demon, but if they do then they pretty much know that you know and you'll probably end up dead. If you manage to get away from them then you put a non-broken line of salt at every window and door, then I would suggest praying, cause unless you know how to draw a Devil's Trap you're dead." Kate nodded slowly and continued to ask her questions, me answering them the best I could before I was cut off by a rapping on the shed door, Susan and Kate screaming as I winced. "It's us, open up," Sam's voice said from outside the door. Susan rushed over and moved everything to the side, letting Brian, Sam and Adam into the little shed. "Ran the perimeter twice, she has to be inside the house," Adam said, looking down at me with a slightly annoyed tone. "How much do you want to bet she's in the cellar?" He asked, as Brian and Sam blocked the door again. Brian shook his head and stepped in front of Sam. "Look, why are we just standing here? Let's go in. Let's check the house," he said, clearly impatient. Sam kept himself calm. "We have to wait for those guys to get back, okay?" A loud knocking on the door made the family jump. "Sam, Adam, Mia, it's me." "Help me out," Sam ordered as we moved the things from the door. Dean rushed into the shed, closing the door behind him. "Did you get Danny?" Susan asked, her voice desperate. Dean looked to Sam before answered. "No," he said, his voice almost inaudible. Susan shook her head. "No? Well, where's Ted?" "He's outside," Dean answered, his voice a little higher. Confusion crossed her face. "Well, why doesn't he come inside?" Dean glanced at the ground before looking her in the eye. "Because I had to carry him out," he answered. "I'm sorry." Susan still refused to understand. "You're…" She trailed off weakly, glancing at her husband before looking back to Dean. "What does that mean? What does that mean, you're sorry?" "Are you saying that he's dead?" Brian asked, getting Kate to look rather distraught from her spot next to me. Susan shook her head, still in denial. "No. No, he's not saying that he's dead. You're not saying that, are you?" She asked, her voice rising. Dean forced his kept his voice even. "We were in the walls, and she attacked. And I couldn't get to him in time," he explained. Susan broke down at that point and buried herself in Brian's chest as he hugged her tightly. Kate looked wide eyes at me. "Is this what you meant Mia?" She asked, getting everyone's attention. "About people getting caught in the crossfire?" I watched the young girl for a moment before nodding. "I shouldn't have left him alone," Dean said before pulling open the door open. "I'm very sorry," he said before stepping outside. I let out a sigh and pushed myself to my feet, grimacing when I put weight on my injured leg. I gave a pointed look to both Sam and Adam before following him out. I knew where his mind was and it was going to do no good for anyone. I found him standing in front of the house, looking rather broodingly at the erringly quiet house. I limped next to him, my arms going around her as I watched the house. "Dean-" "Mia, please, just don't," he said, his voice a quiet pleading. "We save more people than we let die. Hunters aren't perfect, Dean. You said so yourself." Dean watched me for a moment before swallowing hard. "The things I did, the mistakes I've made-" "Don't define you," I cut off, my other hand coming up to his cheek. "I've told you this before; if you weren't Human you wouldn't feel bad about Ted's death." Dean shook his head and lowered his eyes to the ground. "How's your leg?" he asked, trying his hardest to change the subject. I hesitated for a moment before deciding that it wasn't my place to make him talk. I shifted my stance, noticing that my had put almost all my weight onto the now pulsing leg. "I've had worse," I answered, letting my hands drop to his shoulders. "Addie's going to take care of it when we get back to the motel." "I still can't believe you did that," he said, a small chuckle in his voice. "It was either my leg or you intestines. I get a limp and you get to live another day," I joked, smiling lightly. He chuckled again. "Then I guess I owe you a thank you," he said, raising his head to look at me. I nodded. "I guess you do," I answered. "Well, if that's how I get to say thank you than I might be more inclined to have manners," he said, smirking. I raised an eyebrow at that. "A Winchester with manners? I never thought I'd see the day." Dean laughed. I watched him for a moment before bringing my hands to the sides of his neck. "Are you going to be okay?" Dean chuckled humorlessly. "No. I'm not." I smiled softly. "I'd be more worried if you said yes," I told him before leaning up and kissing his cheek in a friendly way. "You'll feel better once the bitch is dead." He nodded and let out a sigh. "Come on, let's go back inside," I said, reached down and grabbing his hands. I stepped back, pulling him back towards the shed. With another sigh he allowed me to pull him forward and into the shed. The shed had been quiet as Sam and Dean read through the daughter's diary. I was once again sitting on the floor, this time Adam joining me, his eyes locked on my bandaged leg. The Carter family was spaced out, all taking in the death of Ted in their own way. Although Susan was taking it as a finalization of her son's fate. "We'll find him. We will," Brian soothed, wrapping his arm around her. "Where else is there to look?" she asked, her voice defeated. "Danny's dead, isn't he?" She asked, her tone bitter. Brian shook his head. "No, Susan." "He is. Why not? She's killed my brother. Now she killed my son." Brian shook his head faster. "No, Danny is alive." "No, no, he isn't." "Yes, he is," he stressed. "Do you remember what he said about the girl who lived in the walls? She said he could stay." Susan shook her head. "No. No. I just don't understand why this happens to us. I mean, we're good people. We're a good family." Brian nodded slowly. "What happened to Andy happened, okay?" he asked. "I cannot change that. But I will find Danny, I promise you," he stated, glancing over to Kate before looking back to Susan. "And when I do, we are gonna be fine. You and me, the kids, we're gonna be fine," he assured her. Susan took a minute to decide before nodding slowly. "Okay," she whispered. Brian sat there for a moment before get got up and headed out the door, closing it behind him quietly. Adam looked over to me. "You okay?" he asked, his voice quiet. My head snapped up and looked to him. I nodded and watched as he pushed himself to his feet and follow Brian out of the shed. The shed once again became quiet, the only sound of pages being turned from the daughter's diary. "Holy shit," Dean whispered as he dropped back down from his tip toes, shaking his head. "Suddenly I don't feel so against his death," he stated, his voice a slight growl. I raised an eyebrow at that. "What is it?" I asked, reaching out to tug the back of Sam's shirt to get his attention. Sam glanced down at me and let out a sigh. "I'll tell you later. Stay with them," he said, pointing to Susan and Kate. I couldn't help but feel a little put out but nodded anyways. "Yeah, sure," I said. Adam crouched in front of me and gave me a kiss on the forehead. I swallow lightly, the fear in my eyes readable. "That bitch tries to get in here, you stab her in the face," he told me, patting the boot that held my knife. He gave me a smile and a kiss on the lips. He tired to pull away but I wouldn't let him. I wrapped my arms around his neck. I pulled away and we looked into each other's eyes. "Love you. Don't be long. I cant risk losing you. You and Sammy and Dean are the only family I have left." "I know. I will come back. Promise." He gave me one final smile before getting up and following Sam and Dean out of the shed. *Adam's POV* I followed Sam out of the shed, stopping next to him when they spotted Dean with Brian. Sam cleared his throat. "Dean!" he called, getting my brother's attention. "We need to talk," he told him, holding the diary up. Confusion crossed Dean's face but he nodded and looked back to Brian. "Okay, uh, don't wander off," he told him before gesturing to the house. We stepped into the house, flashlights in hand and scanning the walls as they walked in further and further. "What is that?" Dean asked, looking to the diary in Sam's hand. "Rebecca's diary," Sam answered. "I just finished reading it." "And?" he asked, sounding a little uninterested as he moved over to the closet the girl had come from, once again opening the doors to look inside. "That girl back there? Pretty sure she was Rebecca's daughter," he stated, a bitter tone to his voice. "Rebecca had a kid?" Dean asked, looking back at us. "It's all she talks about," I answered. "Being pregnant, being ashamed of being pregnant." Dean scoffed and turned back to look at us. "Jeez, rent Juno and get over it," he muttered before something clicked in his head. "Wait, why kill herself after the baby?" he asked. I let out a growl. "I'm pretty sure any girl would kill herself after her father calls her a dirty little whore and threatens to lock the baby away where no one can see it," I answered, clearly a little pissed by what had happened to the poor girl. Dean looked to me, a little wary of my tone. "Why would he say that?" he asked carefully. I raised an eyebrow at him. "Really?" I asked, a little shocked he hadn't figured it out. Blame my brother's thick head. "His wife is dead, he lives in the middle of nowhere, and he has a daughter," I said slowly. Dean thought for a moment before disgust slapped him across the face. "Oh, gross," he said. Sam nodded. "Yeah." I grimaced. "It happens more often than you think," I stated. Dean frowned at her before looking to Sam. "So the daddy was the badydaddy too?" he asked. Sam rolled his shoulders. "Dude was a monster, Dean," he stated. "Wow, a story ripped from an Austrian headline," he muttered. I shook my head. "I'm not going to even comment on how politically incorrect that is," I stated, frowning deeply at Dean. Dean ignored me and kept his eyes on Sam. "Humans, man," he said, shaking his head. Sam nodded his head in agreement. "So she's been locked up in this house her whole life?" "You saw her eyes," Sam said with a shrug. "Has she ever seen light. She's barely human." "Kay, so what then? She's been caged up like an animal and she busts out and ganks dear old Dad-slash-Grandad?" he questioned, trying to wrap his head around it all. "I guess." Dean jerked his head to the side. "Well, can't say I blame her," he stated. I shook my head. "I'd probably do the same." "I'm sure her life was hell, Dean, but that doesn't mean she gets a pass for murder streak," Sam stated, his tone firm. Dean twitched at that. "Like you know what hell's like," he stated, his tone taking an edge. Sam floundered. "I didn't-" Dean shook his head. "Forget it," he said. A tension filled the room as the brothers looked at each other. Sam cleared his throat. "So how are we going to find her?" I let out a sigh. "I don't know how many times I have to say this," I said, shaking my head. "Houses like these have cellars but there isn't a cellar door." Dean brightened at that. "Kid's gotta eat, right?" I smiled when I realized I understood, but Sam on the other hand let out a 'what?' Dean walked over and grabbed a crowbar. "He kept her hidden, locked up, but he had to feed her, didn't he?" Sam shrugged. "I guess," he answered. Dean nodded. "I think I know where," he stated. "What's going on?" We turned and found Brian standing in the doorway, looking more than concerned. "Come on," I said before heading to the kitchen, the others right behind me. I pushed through the swinging door and over to the covered up dumbwaiter. "When the house wives made preservatives they made hundreds, glass jars everywhere and they would keep them down in the cellar, let them settle, but there were always too many to just carry them all down the stairs, so they would loud up the dumbwaiter, send someone down and have them unload them then send it back up for the next batch," I explained. Dean nodded and stepped forward, tapping against the plaster with is knuckles. "But he closed off the cellar door and then the dumbwaiter," he said before swinging at the wall with the crowbar, making a good sized hole. Sam shook his head. "Could've kept her hidden here for years. Kept her fed, nobody would ever know," he said, glancing over at the clearly freaking Brian. Dean took several more swings before the dumbwaiter was open again, Brian flinching back at the smell that came from the hole. Sam leaned through the opening, his flashlight pointed down the dumbwaiter shaft as he searched. "Danny! Danny!" he called, hoping that the kid would run out. "Watch out, I'm going down," Dean said, pushing passed Sam. I reached out and grabbed his arm, getting him to pause. "You come back or I'll go down there and get you," I threatened, my tone firm. Dean watched me for a moment, and nodded. He moved forward and crawled through the opening, flashlight still in hand as he climbed down the shaft to the bottom. *Mia's POV* I watched Susan and Kate from my spot on the floor. They had been hugging ever since the others had left and Susan had been trying her best to keep Kate calm. "It's okay. Shh. It's okay," Susan whispered before the window behind her shattered. Kate screamed as her and her mom backed away from the window. I pushed myself to my feet, my knife in hand as I eased into a fighting stance, waiting for the next attack. *Adam's POV* My heart dropped when I heard the deranged screaming come from the dumbwaiter. "That sounds like a man," I said, my voice soft. Sam nodded and glanced down at the diary sitting on the counter. "Maybe there's more than one kid?" he suggested. I shook my head in disgust. "I hate the country," I stated. *Mia's POV* I glanced back at Susan and Kate, their eyes locked on the broken window. I shook my head and grabbed Kate's arm, pulling my closer. "She won't come through the window," I explained, my voice hushed. "It's a distraction," I stated, also pulling Susan to me. The shed went quiet again before a knife stabbed through the wall the girls had been standing against. I moved in front of the girls, knife raised and ready. *Adam's POV* Due to me pointing out that they would need something to pull the two back up Brian grabbed a stack of their sheets and with the help of I managed to tear and tie them into a rope. "Here," I said, holding it out to Sam. He took it and threw it down the dumbwaiter shaft, he paused, however, when he spotted Danny looking up from below. "Danny," he said, a smile pulling at his lips. "Wrap the end around you and we'll pull you up," he told him. Brian stepped forward, trying to look around Sam. "You found him?" he asked. "You found Danny?" "Yeah, we found him," Sam answered. "Okay!" Danny called up once he got the loops around him. Sam stepped back, his hands gripping the sheets. "Pull," he ordered as me took up the slack behind him. "Come on, buddy. Come on, buddy," Brian said, sticking half way in the dumbwaiter, helping his son up. "Don't look back, Danny. Just come on, come." *Mia's POV* "Back to back," I ordered, forcing Susan and Kate to face opposite each other as she pressed her back to their sides. "Don't make a sound," I whispered. We remained silent before the sound of creaking wood filled the shed. I scanned the walls before I spotted the board of wood that was being pushed in. I lunged forward and pressed my back against the wood, my heels digging into the ground to keep the girl out. My jaw clenched as I put more pressure on my injured leg, a groan escaping me when I saw the blood start to move through my destroyed shirt, knowing I had reopened my wound. If I wasn't careful, I would pass out from blood loss before the bitch was dead. *Adam's POV* I bounced on my feet as Brian pulled Danny up and out of the dumbwaiter shaft and pull him into a hug. Brian set him down and looked him over. "You okay?" He asked. Danny nodded, looking more than freaked out. "I'm okay," he said. I couldn't help but let out a small cheer at that and spun to face Sam. "We did good, Sammy." I said before turning my attention to Danny. "Danny Boy, you're alive and well," I said, pulling him into a hug. "Nothing too traumatizing I hope," I said before lifting his head to look him in the eye. "Nope, you'll be fine," I told him with a bright smile before looking to Brian. "Get out of here," I told him, pushing Danny into his hands. Brian nodded to them and rushed out of the house. Sam leaned through the dumbwaiter, feeling a little panicked. "Dean?!" he called. There was a few moments of angry yelling before two gunshots sounded off. "I'm going down," Sam stated. I glared at him. "And leave me all alone up here? Nuh-uh," I said, shaking my head and moving in front of him. "You stay up here, I'll go down there," I stated before hopping up into the stalk and dropping down, my flashlight already on. I crawled through a hole and spotted Dean lying next to a male version of the girl. "Dean, you okay?" I asked, stepping over and crouching next to him. He glanced down at the dead body and nodded slowly. "Humans suck," he stated. I nodded with a grimace, my eyes scanning the room the two siblings had lived in. "I really hate the country," I stated. "No more cases in the country, okay?" Dean nodded and held his hand up to me, hoping that I would take pity and help him up. I let out a sigh, pushed myself to my feet and grabbed his hand, throwing my weight into getting my brother to his feet. "Come on, this place is giving me the creeps," I said, heading back towards the dumbwaiter shaft. *Mia's POV* I had been right. I was going to pass out. My vision was spotted everywhere except in a few select places and the feeling in my arms and legs were starting to go numb. I knew that the girl was pushing me further in the house the weaker I got. I couldn't let the girl get in the shed, I couldn't. The girl threw herself against the board with all her weight, throwing me to the ground, the board landing on top of me as the girl started to crawl forward into the shed. I managed to roll myself onto my back and raise the hand that held the knife, ready to stab blindly. Suddenly, the girl was pulled backwards, her screams filling the air as the sound of metal slicing through skin followed. A banging on the door made the women scream. "Susan!" Brian called from the other side. Susan and Kate moved the barricade but stepped back in shock when Brian entered the shed, blood splatter with the girls knife in hand. I pushed the board off my and laid flat on the floor. "She's dead?" I asked, my voice a little slurred. Brian nodded. "She's dead," he answered. I chuckled lightly as a lazy smile slipped on my lips. "Great. That's good...Is everyone…okay?" I asked, my breathing shallow. "Yeah...We're all good." Brain said. "Good." Another lazy smile slipped on my lips. I felt the world spin painfully and my vision go dark. *Adam's POV* We walked out of the house and onto the front porch to find Kate crying and Susan holding onto Danny like her life depended on it. We walked down the front stairs and found Brian carrying an unconscious Mia towards the house. "Mia!" All three of us yelled, running towards Brian. "She just passed out," Brian assured us. "I'll put her in the Impala," I said as I stepped forward and pulled Mia from his arms, surprising them when I didn't have any trouble as I walked off. The morning couldn't have come sooner for us four hunters. Mia was still passed out in the back seat, I was still upset about the context of the hunt and my brothers were just flat out tired. Dean lowered the jack on the Impala after fixing the tires on his baby as Sam and me loaded the weapons back into the trunk. "Thanks for the head start," Dean said, turning to the Carter family as me and Sam walked around to join him. Brian nodded his head slowly. "Why doesn't it surprise me you guys don't like the police?" Sam let out scoff. "It's sort of a mutual-appreciation thing, really," he stated. The Carter's nodded. "Well, thank you," Brian said, shaking their hands. Susan nodded. "Thank you," she said, also shaking our hands. "And tell Mia thank you for keeping me and Kate safe. We really appreciate it." I nodded. "Do you mind if I get a picture?" I asked. Brian glanced at Susan before pulling her to his side, giving her a small smile. I snapped a photo on my phone before giving them a serious look. "One more thing," I said before pulling a business card out of my back pocket and holding it out to Brian. "If anything like this happens again or you notice something strange going on, call that number. It's Dean's phone number. Okay?" Brain nodded, clutching the card tightly. *Mia's POV* Adam looked over to me when he heard a groan come from me. He smiled brightly when he saw my eyes open with a grimace. "Morning sleeping beauty," he said. I groaned louder and pushed myself into a sitting position, my eyes blurry as I blinked them quickly. "Where are we?" I asked. "In the Impala, heading to the motel room so we can patch up your leg," He answered, his tone full of amusement. I nodded slowly before leaning forward to press my forehead against the front seat. "What happened after you went back into the house?" I asked. Adam let out a sigh before explained it, my frown growing deeper and deeper with each moment. "And I thought our lives were bad," He said, a sobering silence filling the Impala. They stayed in the motel long enough to patch up my leg and catch a quick shower before they booked it out of there, much enthusiasm from Adam on the booking it part. We had been driving for a few hours before I commented on how none of us had eaten since the day before. We got some crappy fast food and pulled in under an overpass, all of us getting out to cram the food down our throats to shut our stomachs up. Dean unwrapped his cheeseburger, looked at it and wrapped it back up, setting it off to the side. Sam raised his eyebrow at that, looking to his brother with concern. "You okay?" he asked. Dean stuffed his hands into his pockets, looking off to the side. "You know, I felt for those sons of bitches back there," he stated. "Life-long torture turns you into something like that." "You were in hell, Dean," Sam stated. Dean looked off to the side again. Sam let out a small sigh. "Look, maybe you did what you did there, but you're not them," he told him. "They were barely human." Dean nodded his head bitterly. "Yeah, you're right. I wasn't like them. I was worse," he stated. I let out a silent sigh, knowing that what I had told him didn't quite make it. "They were animals, Sam, defending territory. Me? I did it for the sheer pleasure." My head snapped up to look at him. He had told me that he hadn't enjoyed it, he nearly took my head off when I had asked him. Had he been lying? "What?" Sam asked, shock clear on his face. "I enjoyed it, Sam," he said, swallowing hard. "They took me off the rack, and I tortured souls, and I liked it," his tone hard and bitter. "All those years, all that pain. Finally getting to deal some out yourself. I didn't care who they put in front of me, men, women, even children… because that pain I felt…..it just slipped away. No matter how many people I save, I can't change that. I can't fill this hole. Not ever." *Adam's POV* I had found myself once again shoved in the back of the Impala Mia on top of me, My hand had moved absentmindedly moved from her shoulder down to her hip where my thumb was now rubbing circles against the skin her ridden up shirt had exposed. "So?" Dean questioned, keeping his tone low so he didn't wake a sleeping Mia. Sam let out a sigh. "I think she's telling the truth," he stated. "The way she talked about being there mentally but not physically. Kind of sounds like demonic possession to me." Dean raised his eyebrows. "Kind of?" he questioned. "She didn't see any black smoke or smell sulfur," he explained with a shrug. Dean grimaced. "Maybe she's not a demon. Kids can be vicious." Sam let out another sigh, seemingly still uneasy about the current situation. "Well, I mean, we're already here, might as well check out the school." Dean nodded and looked back out the windshield, a frown pulling at his lips. "Right. The school." Confusion pulled at Sam's brow. "What?" "Truman High, home of the Bombers," he recited, looking back at Sam with an unimpressed look. "What's your point?" Sam questioned. "I don't know. We went there for a month a million years ago. Why are you so jazzed to go back?" he asked, looking at Sam with a perplexed expression. "I'm not," Sam answered with a quick shrug. "I just think it's worth looking into." Dean made his signature 'ok' face. "All right, what's our cover? FBI, Homeland Security?" He asked before a sly smile pulled at his lips. "Swedish exchange students?" Sam flashed him a smile back. "Don't worry. I got an idea." *Mia's POV* I was leaning against the doorframe of the gym I found myself liking the hall monitor job. I was biting my lip in an attempt to keep my laughter in as I watched Dean Winchester pace in front of a lineup of teenagers in red short shorts and knee high socks, complete with a sweat band. "Today, you will have the honor of playing one of the greatest games ever invented," he said, using the John Winchester tone of authority. "A game of skill, agility, cunning. A game with one simple rule," he said before leaning down and picking up one of the red rubber balls. "Dodge," he said, winding his arm back and chucking the ball at a kid less than five feet away from him in the stomach. My hand threw to my mouth when the ball made contact and the kid doubled over, groaning in pain. Dean seemed to realize his mistake and straightened right up. "Sorry," he barked out. One of the kids raised his hand. "Uh, substitute coach Roth?" "Yes?" he asked, walking down to him. "Miss Boudreaux never let us play dodge ball," he pointed out, his voice wavering. "Well, Miss B's in Massachusetts getting married, so we're playing," he answered, placing the whistle back in his mouth. The kid was grasping at straws. "But she says it's dangerous-" Dean let out a belt from the whistle, getting the kid to jump. "Take a lap," he ordered. "But-" Dean belted again and the kid took off. "Hey." I jumped and looked over my shoulder to see Sam standing behind me, clad in his janitors uniform and cart of cleaning supplies. Adam stood behind him, sporting the same utility belt and repressed smile as me. He walked over to me and gripped my waist and gave me a kiss on the lips. Sam caught Dean's attention and gestured to out in the hall. Dean nodded and the mesh bag that held the balls into the air (there's no unperverted way to say that) and march towards them. "Go nuts," he ordered. "Having fun?" Sam asked once Dean reached them. "The whistle makes me their god," he answered, flashing us an overly amused smile. Sam gave a small nod. "Right. Nice shorts." Dean lost his smile. "Find anything?" Sam took in a deep breath. "Been over the entire school twice, no sulfur," he answered. "Between me and Mia we've said Cristo to the entire student body," Adam said. Dean's eyebrows pulled together. "No sulfur, no demon. No Cristo, no demon. No demon, no case." "I don't know, maybe I was wrong," Sam admitted. "Yeah, well, I say we hit the road, huh? But after lunch, it's, uh, sloppy-joe day," he said before the sound of ball hitting flesh and a yell of pain filled the air. The kid who had stood up to Dean suddenly ran by with his hand over his nose. "Good hustle, Colby!" Dean called after him. "Walk it off." "He would be the one to get hurt," I muttered as I watched the kid run down the hallway. "Shouldn't one of us go check on him?" I asked, looking to Adam. "Love you." I smile. "Love you too." He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before running after the boy. "I'm really starting to think that you really shouldn't be around kids," Sam said, looking at Dean. "Hey, I'm doing a great job," Dean defended, glaring at his brother. "Colby's nose is broken. I'm going to have to take him to the nurse," Adam's voice spoke thought the walkie talkie at my hip. Sam looked to Dean with an 'Oh really?' expression. "Hey, I wasn't the one who hit him!" Dean stated, pointing a finger at Sam while I chuckled. The entire auditorium was packed with the student body of Truman High. The Principal of said school stood behind a podium, sweating under the stage lights as he spoke to the teenagers who were blatantly ignoring him. The faculty was spaced out in the large room, ordered to make sure that the students were on their best behavior, a task the shell shocked teachers were more than happy to follow. Me and Adam were stationed at the back, waiting for the perfect time to sneak off and join Sam and Dean in their search of the school. Once the principal stopped talking and one of the guidance counselors took over we slipped through the doors and made our way through the empty hallways. We found the pair sweeping for EMF in the science hall, both looking way too concentrated for the task. Their attention was turned to us when they stepped through the doors. "How's the non-violence assembly going?" Sam questioned, a smirk pulling at his lips. Adam shook his head. "Apparently shoving a kids arm into a Cuisinart is not a 'healthy display of anger'," he answered. "Depends on the kid," Dean stated, flashing me a smile. Adam smirked at me before turning his attention back to Sam. "The kid had ectoplasm leaking out of his ear?" he asked, pointing to the appendage. Sam nodded. "Which only comes from a seriously pissed-off spirit," he stated. "It's gotta be a ghost possession." Adam's eyebrows pulled together. "I thought that was really rare?" He questioned. "Yeah, but it happens," Sam told her. "I mean, they get angry enough, they could take control of a person's body." "There's no EMF though," Adam said, holding up the reader he had clutched in his hand. "We've swept the whole building, nothing." "But they had to die in the building. So we should check to see if someone ever died bloody," Sam stated. I smiled and pointed to Dean. "Alright way ahead of you. I had to break into the principal's office to get this," he stated, reaching into his track suit jacket pocket to pull out a folded up piece of paper. "Oh, and FYI, three of the cheerleaders are legal. Guess which ones." Sam said no at the same time I pulled a face and Adam smacked him upside the head. Dean shot Adam a glare before looking back down at the paper. "So there was only one dead on campus. It was a suicide back in '98, some kid named Barry Cook," he stated. Sam's eyes widened as he reached out and snatched the paper from Dean, his eyes moving over the text. "What?" Dean demanded. Sam let out a long sigh. "I knew him. How'd he die?" Dean seemed a little surprised at his brother's statement but didn't question it. "Uh, he slit his wrists in the first-floor girls' bathroom," he answered. Sam's attention snapped up at attention. "That's where-" "Where the chick got swirlied to death, exactly," Dean finished with a nod. "So, what, this ghost is possessing nerds?" he questioned. "And using them to go after bullies, yeah," Sam agreed. I bit my lip and stepped closer to Sam. "Does that sound like something Barry would do?" I asked, my hand coming up to grip his forearm in a gentle squeeze. Sam looked down at me, a frown pulling at his lips. "High school was hard on Barry," he answered. School was hell for me. We found the cemetery Barry was buried in and waited out the day in the motel room we had got the day before school. When night fell and decently late hour rolled around we packed up the Impala and headed to the cemetery. We had been quiet as we dug up the grave, no one wanting to say the wrong thing about Sam's friend. I hadn't left Sam's side since the news of his friend's death, ready to be there if he needed me, something I myself didn't really understand but wasn't going to fight the instinct to stick near. "You all right?" Dean asked after a few minutes of silence on the ride back to the motel. Sam took a moment to answer. "Barry was my friend," he stated. "And I just burned his bones." Dean glanced over at him. "Well, he's at peace now, Sam." "Maybe if Dad had let us stay just a little longer maybe I could have helped the kid, you know?" he asked. Dean shook his head. "You read the coroner's report same as me," he said. "Barry was on every anxiety drug and antidepressant known to man. School was hell for that kid. His parents had split up. He just wanted out. It's tragic, but it's not your fault," he said, his tone firm. Sam didn't speak. "To tell the truth, I'm glad we got out of that town. I hated that school," he stated, a grimace on his face. That seemed to surprise Sam. "It wasn't all bad," he stated. Dean let out a humorless huff. "How can you say that after what happened to you?" Adam's interest perked up at that, concern ripping through him. "Not that it's any of my business but, uh, what happened?" He answered, leaning forward so he was leaning on the back of the front seat. "Some douche bag picked a fight with him," Dean answered. "Gave him a black eye and everything." Confusion pulled at my face as I leaned forward next to Adam. His arms wrapped around my waist and he gave me a kiss on the forehead. "Why didn't you fight back?" I questioned. Sam let out a sigh. "I did." "Yeah, after he got a few good punches in," Dean grumbled, clearly still pissed that his brother hadn't resorted to violence right away. We drove in silence. The next morning we found ourselves waiting sitting in the Impala outside of Truman High. "We came back here so you could talk to a teacher?" Dean asked, his voice just as tired as his eyes. Sam let out a sigh as he looked to the school. "He's a good guy," he stated. Adam shook his head, his eyebrows shooting up. "Well, whatever," he said. "Go have your Robin Williams, 'oh, captain, my captain' moment. Just make it quick, and don't get lost, either." he stated, messing with my hair. Sam sighed and got out of the Impala. Dean suddenly perked up and leaned his head out the window. "Hey, Sam?" He asked after him. He stopped and looked back at him. "Yeah?" he asked. "Can I come with you?" He asked, his hands poised on the car handle. He nodded without hesitation. "Sure Dean." He jumped out of the car and caught up to him, both of them walking off into the school. "Shotgun!" I yelled as soon as they were gone and climbed over the seat with a certain amount of grace and experience. Adam chuckled lightly as he watched me; surprised that I had managed to do that without putting my boots on the seat. "So, how was your first high school experience?" I let out a small sigh. "Surprisingly more depressing than I thought," I answered. "I'm a little disappointed though." "Why's that?" he asked. "I didn't get to make out in a supply closet," I answered, giving Adam a rather pointed look. His eyebrows shot up as his eyes widened, a peel of nervous chuckles leaving him as he leaned away from me. "Th-that is disappointing," he agreed, clearing his throat and looking out the windshield. My smirk grew. *Dean's POV* "Right there," Sam said, pointing to a classroom door. "I'll wait out here, okay?" I said. Sam nodded. "Yeah, okay," he agreed before reaching towards for the door handle. "Excuse me, sir?" Both of us turned around to find a girl I would peg as an Otaku. "Can you tell me how to find room 205?" she asked. Sam smiled and stepped over. "Sure, um," he paused to think, "head down the hall, take your first right and it's the third door on the left," he explained, gesturing with his hands. The girl looked back to Sam and just watched him, an uncomfortable silence growing between them. Sam flashed her a smile, her returning it. "Thanks, Sam," she said. "Uh," I said, my hand grabbing Sam's arm in an attempt to pull him back. With a cry the girl pulled out a thumb screw compass and stabbed Sam in the chest. "Sam!" I called, gripping his arm tighter to keep him from falling to the ground. "You got tall, Winchester," she said before kicking him between the legs. I moved to help Sam but found the side of my face smashed into the lockers, effectively dropping me to the ground. My vision swam as I tried to focus on the things around me but only managed to flop my head to the side to find Sam shove a handful of salt into the girls mouth and a smoke like figure shooting out of her. *Mia's POV* Dean sat next to Sam on the little road side bench with his head between his knees, trying to will his head ache away. Adam walked over, a full bottle of whiskey extended to his older brother. "Trust me, it'll help," he stated. Sam let out a strangled sigh before pressing the cold bottle to his sore appendage. Adam stalked in front of us. "That ghost is dead," he growled. "I'm going to rip its lungs out!" he shouted. "I'll help too." I commented, appearing from the back seat of the Impala, a medical kit in my hands. "Really?" he asked. I nodded and crouched in front of Dean, the medical kit open beside me. "Take these," I said, placing two pills into Dean's hand, "With a generous gulp of this," I told him, holding up a half drank bottle of Costco sized vodka. Dean gave me wry smile before doing just that. "It knew my name, Addie," Sam stated, looking to his brother with a concerned filled expression. "My real name," he stressed. Adam glanced back at him before looking through Barry's file again. "We burned Barry's bones. What the hell?" he asked. "Did either of you consider the idea that maybe this isn't Barry?" I questioned, looking over at the brothers. "You were a Winchester in a High School, I highly doubt there's only one person who wants you dead," I said before wincing, "No offense," I said, looking to Sam with an apologetic expression. Sam nodded with a knowing look. Adam let out a frustrated sigh and flipped through a few of the papers. "Maybe we missed something. We just gotta go back." A small smile pulled at my lips when I saw the look on Adam's face. "Light bulb," I said. Adam shot me an full on amused look before looking to his brother. "How did we not see this before?" he asked. "What?" Sam asked. "Check this out," he said, stepping over to show them the file. "Martha Dumptruck, Revenge of the Nerds, and Hello Kitty all rode the same bus," he stated, pointing the names and numbers out. Sam sat up straighter. "Okay, so maybe the bus is haunted." "That would explain why there's no EMF at the school, but not the attacks," Dean continued, leaning against the back of the Impala. "Ghosts are tied to the places that they haunt. They can't just bail." "Well, obviously this one can," Adam stated, shooting Dean a No-Shit-Sherlock look. "I thought we already agreed that this ghost was possessing people? There's lore for it." Sam nodded in agreement. "Yeah, they can ride people for miles and whenever they leave the body, they're bungeed back to their usual haunt. But until then, the ghosts can go wherever they want." Adam seemed to start to understand. "So a spook just grabs a kid on the bus and walked right into Truman?" "It's possible," all three of us stated. Adam's jaw clenched as he thought of that. "Ghosts getting creative, well, that's super," he stated before reaching into the cooler and pulling out water bottles. He opened both and held one out to me. I gave him a smile an a kiss on the lips. I took the water bottle from him and joined him to lean against the Impala, giving him a kiss on the forehead. "It's a good thing none of us quit," I commented. Sam let out a light laugh. "Yeah, another day of being a janitor, great." I glared at him. "Do you think being a hall monitor is easy?" I demanded. "I had to break two girls apart who were fighting over some douche bag guy who was cheering them on from the side lines," I said. "One of them bit my leg." Dean chocked on his beer and looked over at me. Adam also chocked on his water and stared at me. "Seriously?" he asked. "I have teeth marks," I stated before raising my leg and pulling up my pant leg to show the clearly visible bite mark just above my ankle. "Holy shit," Sam said, his eyebrows pulled together as he looked at the mark. Adam let out a snort. "The kid that broke his nose? Colby? Yeah, he threw up on me on the way to the office." I broke out in a fit of laughter. "Is that why you mysteriously disappeared for an hour?" He nodded with a wry smile. "Kid wouldn't stop apologizing." "Hey, I had to clean that up," Sam stated, trying to sound angry despite the large smile on his lips. At that, despite the incredibly horrible time we had had at the school, we were all laughing. The next morning we found ourselves searching the bus all the kids rode on. Both Adam and I stood at the front, hot chocolates complete with whipped cream, hot fudge and a chocolate chip cookie with the chips still melting clutched in our hands as they watched the boys go up and down the aisle with EMF readers. "Definitely ain't clean," Sam answered as he got all red lights once again. Dean held his salt gun up higher. "Here ghosty, ghosty, ghosty," he called, hitting the top of the bus with the barrel. "Come out, come out, wherever you are." I let out a bark of laughter. "Yes, because waving a gun around on a school campus is the great idea of the day," I stated, my tone thick with sarcasm while I took a huge, long swing of my hot chocolate and a bite of my cookie nonchalantly. Dean looked over his shoulder at me and gave me a look that shouted 'be quiet'. "Man, I don't get it," Sam stated, sounding more than frustrated. "No one ever died on a bus. It's not like there's a body hidden here." Dean gave a nod. "But a flap of skin, I mean, hell a hangnail-" "A chewed up piece of gum," Adam added, his voice blunt. "A small piece of hair." I add, my voice also blunt. Dean nodded. "Something's gotta be trying the ghost to this place. We gotta find it," he said, looking under the seats. "Yeah," Sam agreed. I let out a small groan and took another gulp from my hot chocolate. "How much sleep did you get last night?" Adam asked, turning his head to the side as Sam and Dean continued to search. I grimaced. "Not much. I had visions of demons killing everyone I love." "Oh." Adam stated, bringing his hand up to rub his forehead, the remains of his head ache from yesterday thrumming in his head. "I couldn't sleep over the sound of my heartbeat echoing in my head." "Maybe we should rob a pharmacy," I suggested. "Get some pain killers and extra strength sleeping pills." "Don't tease me with such things," Adam said. Dean walked over to us, a small smile on his lips. "Look alive ladies," he said before plopping down into the driver's seat and reached into the cubby in the dash. He grabbed a day timer looking thing and flipped through it. "Got a new driving permit, issued two weeks ago," Dean called, looking the certificate over. Sam walked up to the front and crouched in the aisle. "Just before the first attack." "Yeah," Dean agreed. "Name of the bus driver is Dirk MacGregor Sr. 39 North Central Avenue." Sam's eyes narrowed in through. "MacGregor?" he questioned. "Yeah," he answered, looking up to his brother and pausing when he saw the astonished look on his face. "What?" he asked. Sam shook his head lightly. "I knew his son," he answered. Dean had a look of disbelief on his face. "You knew everybody at this school?" he questioned, giving him a pointed look. Adam chuckled lightly and patted Sam on the head. "It is Sam we're talking about," He grinned. Sam scoffed and blushed and we all laugh. "So, Couch Roth, is this field trip a requirement or can we skip it?" I asked as we made our way to the Impala. Dean smirked down at me. "I kept the whistle, by the way," he told me. I let out a snort. "That doesn't make you my god," I commented. He chuckled lightly. "Whatever you say Mia." I groaned lightly. "Are you dropping us off at the motel or what? Cause I really don't think there needs to be four of us bothering this guy." "I completely agree," Adam added. "If this kid was the school bully than I highly doubt he had any friends of the opposite gender." "You two just don't want to go so you can take naps," Dean accused, pulling open the driver's side door. Me and Adam gave Dean a hard glare, pausing him right in his tracks. "Dean, if they want to sleep, let them sleep," Sam said, pulling up the back door, knowing I would fight him for shotgun if he contested. "They are right though, I don't think Dirk would have any female friends. And Adam could keep Mia company." Dean looked between the three of us before sighing. "Alright, fine, but I don't want to hear any more bitching," he stated, climbing in and slamming the door. Me and Adam shared a triumphant smile. Adam's ringtone for his phone caused my eyes to open. "Have a nice nap babe?" I asked him. He nodded and gave me a kiss on the lips. "Answer it," I groaned into my pillow. Adam chuckled groggily and reached for his phone on the nightstand. "It's Sam," he stated before answering it. "How'd it go?" He asked. "Well, Dirk was cremated but thanks to Dean being creepishly nosey we found out that his dad keeps a lock of his hair on his bus in his bible." Adam let out a snort of laughter at that. "I'm so glad I wasn't there to see it," He said. "So, you're going to ransack the bus again?" "That's another snag in our master plan," he answered. "The bus is on an away trip for the football team, we'll have to do it when they get back." "Oh, another field trip," he said, sarcasm clear in his tone. "I thought I said no more bitching!" Dean's voice yelled in the background. "Dean, watch the damn road!" Sam snapped back. "We'll be back in a little bit, okay?" "Okkie dokkie smoky." He hung up with his laughter in the background. "What's the story, morning glory?" I asked, pushing myself up into a sitting position. "Lock of hair in a bible on a bus that's at an away game for the football team," Adam told me, tossing his phone onto the nightstand once again before rolling out of bed. "They'll be here soon." We laid tire spikes on the road so that the buses tires could deflate. "With our luck the driver will crash the bus killing the entire football team. Then no ghost possession." Adam said, chuckling a bit. "Not funny," I mumbled. *Dean's point of view* I let out a sigh and leaned against the Impala next to Sam. "It's a shame when sexual tension comes between people," I commented. Sam let out a laugh. "Sexual tension is the worst." I shook my head. "They just need to do it already." "Yeah, because that will end well for all of us," Sam stated. "What? They'll go at it Ike rabbits. The only issue we'll have is having to get another room." "That's another thing," Sam said, his eyes narrowing in thought. "Have you noticed how every motel we've come to only has one room with two queens?" I allowed a smile to pull at my lips. "Angelic intervention is my guessing," I answered. "Really?" Sam questioned, his eyes glancing around them, expecting the angel to pop up. "Well, judging by the way Cas nearly has a heart attack every time we're separated I would say it's safe to assume," I answered. "I really hope you're wrong," Sam stated before he perked up and stepped forward. "Hey, the bus is coming!" He called to us. They all hid off to the side of the road and watched as the bus ran over the spikes, swerving but not crashing. I smacked Adam in the arm after he elbowed me with a smirk. We watched as the doors opened and the driver stepped off the bus. "You know the drill," Dean whispered before grabbing the ropes and walking off with me hot on his heels, salt gun in hand. "Come on," Sam said, also grabbing his gun and heading off, Adam right behind him. "Dirk," he called, pumping the shotgun and aiming it at the bus driver. "Winchester," he sneered, not even bothering to cast a glance at Adam. "What are you gonna do, shoot me?" He taunted. "Don't need to," Sam stated before Dean appeared behind the driver and threw the rope around him. "That rope is soaked in salt water, Dirk. You're not going anywhere." Dean dashed forward and climbed onto the bus. "Everybody stay where you are. You'll be okay," he said, using the Winchester tone of approval. "Aren't you the P.E. teacher?" The couch asked. Dean paused for a moment before answering. "Not really. I'm like 21 Jump Street," he answered. "The bus driver sells pot." I rolled my eyes. "We are so lucky to have him," I muttered to Adam. "It's not here!" He called out after he shifted through the Bible. Sam glared at the driver. "Where is it?" He demanded. "No way you'll find it," He answered. Sam stepped forward and slammed him against the side of the bus, shot gun still pointed at him. "Where is it?!" He barked. Dirk sneered. "Sam Winchester, still a bully. You, you jocks," he said, throwing a glance at Dean and Adam. "You pretty people," he snarled, glaring at me. "You popular kids, you always thought you were better than everybody else. And to you, I was just Dirk the Jerk, right? Now you evil sons of bitches are gonna get what's coming to you." "I'm not evil, Dirk," Sam defended before removing his hand from the driver's chest. "I'm not. And neither were you. Trust me," he shook his head in disbelief, "I've seen real evil. We were scared and miserable and we took it out on each other. Us and everybody else. That's High School. But you suffer through that and it gets better. I'm just sorry you didn't get a chance to see that," he said, nodding his head slowly, "You or Barry." Dirk seemed completely unfazed by Sam's speech and sneered again. "Nothing is gonna get better for me," he stated. "Not ever," he said before pulling a Hulk and breaking through the ropes. Sam reacted first and fired two rounds of salt into him. All four of us stood there watching as the bus driver groaned in pain. We were about to step closer when a pair of grunts filled the air. *Dean's POV* We turned around just in time to see a footballer body check Mia and Adam to the ground and into the ditch off to the side. The player turned and tackled Sam to the pavement, rearing back to wail on him. I fired several shots into the players back but found that it was useless. "Dean, find the hair!" Sam yelled, doing his best to block the attacks. I did as instructed and ran back onto the bus, tearing through everything I could get my hands on before another light bulb went off and turned my attention to the unconscious bus driver. "Hey, buddy, this isn't what it looks like," I said as I searched through the man's clothes. I pulled his boots off and found the bundle of hair. I pulled out my lighter in a blind panic and tried to light it, a relief sigh escaped me when it finally caught and I burned the hair. The player screamed before the shadow figure shot out of him, fire burning it before it disappeared. The boy tittered for a moment before falling forward onto Sam, who struggled and gasped to get out from under him. "Little help," he tried to call but all that came out were wheezed versions of the words. I let out another sigh and looked over to my brother, disgust slapping me across the face. "Ugh," I exclaimed. "He's giving you the full cowgirl," I joked. "Yeah," Sam grunted. I chuckled and walked over and rolled the boy off of him, Sam gasping once the weight was off of him. "Thanks," he rasped. "You're welcome," I said, holding my hand out to him. Sam grunted and dusted himself off. "Uh, where are Adam and Mia?" he asked, looking around us. My eyes grew wide before we both took off to the spot we had seen Adam and Mia been thrown off the road. Mia was lying face down in the dirt, her shirt rode up from sliding half way down the ditch, her hair a mess with twigs and other things of nature. Adam was wrapped around a tree trunk, his hair caught in the branches and one of his shoes was missing. "You two okay?!" I called down to them. Mia let out a groan. "I think Mother Nature just bitch slapped me." "I can't breathe," Adam choked out. With sighs we trekked down into the ditch, going to our friends. *Sam's POV* I crouched down next to Adam and slowly pulled him away from the tree, taking in his scratched and dinged self and winced. "Knocked the wind out of you, huh?" I asked, watching him struggle to get a deep breath. He nodded quickly. "You know, me and the football players never really got along," he said. He chuckled lightly as I checked the cut on his forehead, wincing at the blood that was mixing in with my hair. "You should see the other guy," He said, giving me a goofy smile. "Who? The tree or the 300 pound football player?" I asked. "There was a tree?" He asked, his eyes drifting off to the side. My eyebrows shot up at that. "I think you have a concussion," I stated, my tone concerning. Confusion pulled at his face. "I don't play in a repercussion band." "Okay, let's get you back to the motel," I said, slipping my arms under him and lifting him up. He laughed loudly. "Forget about your boyfriend and meet me at the hotel room. You can bring your girlfriends and meet me at the hotel room," He sang. I would have laughed if I wasn't so worried. *Dean's POV* I stooped down next to Mia and gently rolled her over, wincing when I saw the rock lodged in her side along with the scraps and scratches that covered her arms, stomach and part of her face. I tried my hardest not to stare at her self harm. "So, am I going to live?" She asked "Yep." I reply. I shot my eyebrows up. "Would you rather I tell you that you look like road kill?" I asked, giving her yet another pointed look. She shook her head. "My leg has a heartbeat again," she stated, looking to the leg that had been stabbed not too long ago. I looked down at said leg and applied pressure around the healed over wound. "Does it hurt?" I asked. She shook her head. "No, it's just throbbing," she answered. "I think I hit it on the way down," she explained. "We'll get an ice pack on it when we get back to the motel, okay?" I asked, giving her that smile he usually used whenever Sam or Adam was injured. Mia nodded slowly. "Okay," she agreed. "Can you walk?" She shook her head, moaning a bit. "Alright. I'm gonna carry you." She nodded. I wrapped my arms around her legs and waist and lifted her up. We walked back to the Impala. "Forget about your boyfriend and meet me at the hotel room. You can bring your girlfriends and meet me at the hotel room." Both of them looked over when Adam's off key singing filled the air. "Is he okay?" Dean asked, watching as his brother walked over with Adam in his arms. "I think he has a concussion," he answered, looking down at him. I frowned and motioned for Dean to move forward. He obliged and stepped forward. "Mia!" Adam said when he saw me. "Sing with me! Forget about your boyfriend and meet me-" "Addie!" I yelled as I snapped my fingers in front of Adam's face. "I'm going to ask you some questions and you're going to answer them, okay?" "Is that the first question?" He asked. "No. Your body creates and destroys how many blood cells per second?" "15 million." "How many grooves does a quarter have?" "119." "How many pounds of pressure does it take to rip someone's ear off?" "7." "True or False, Femurs are stronger than concrete." "True." "True or False: 2/3 of the human race has 20/20 vision." "False. It's 1/3." "True or False: Your nose can remember 50,000 different scents." "True." "You love me, real or not real?" "Real." "He'll be fine," She stated. "Did that just happen?" I asked, looking up to Sammy. Sam nodded and opened and closed his mouth several times before carrying Adam up the ditch. I blinked and followed after Sam. *Mia's POV* "Hey, Sam, uh, call me when you guys are done with your little chick flick moment, okay?" Adam asked as Sam and Dean climbed out of the car. Sam paused for a moment, confusion playing on his for a moment before nodding. "Okay, sure," he answered, deciding to drop it. Adam nodded and put the Impala into gear, taking us out of the front parking lot and around to the back. "Uh, Adam, where are we going?" I asked as he parked behind the cafeteria. "We're going to right and wrong," he answered, grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the Impala through his side and leading me back to the school. He ignored my questions as he dragged me through the school hallways. "Get in," he said when he opened a random door. My eyebrow rose but I complied with him and stepped into the dark room. "Is this a supply closet?" I questioned as he closed the door and locked it. "Maybe," he said, walking over to me, his hands finding my hips as he backed me up. "Are we going to make out in a supply closet?" I asked as I wrapped my arms around Adam's neck. "Maybe," he answered before leaning down and capturing my lips. If you would have told me that I would be making out with Adam Milligan Winchester in the supply closet of a high school I probably would have shot you in the heart then bury you in a ditch. But here I was, my arms wrapped around him, one down his back and one up in his hair. His hands had managed to find their way under my shirt, his fingers digging into the small of my back as he tried to pull me closer. He caught my bottom lip between his and gently bit, a small smile pulling at his lips when I let out a groan. He released the tender flesh and kissed down my jawline, nipped his way down my neck and paused at the junction where it met my shoulder. He had a full blown smile when I arched further against him and whimpered. He worked the spot and was about to move on when the all too familiar sound of his phone filled the small room. "Come on, Sammy, really?" he growled, dropping his head to my shoulder. I chuckled lightly and patted him on the back. "It was good while it lasted," I stated. "It we ignore him he'll go away," he stated, kissing my collar bone. "Yeah, till they come looking for us," I added. "Knowing them they'll think we were kidnapped or something." Adam growled again and pulled away from me, his hand digging into his pocket and pulling his phone out. "What?" he asked, his voice gruff. "Uh, we can go now," Sam answered, his voice a little hesitant. Adam clenched his jaw to refrain from snapping and nodded his head. "Be right there," he said before hanging up. "Have I told you how much I hate my older brothers?" "You love them and you know it," I stated. "Come on, let's go," I said, slipping from his arms and heading towards the door. Adam sighed and followed after me. Sam cleared his throat. "Hey, how's your neck?" Both me and Adam froze at that, panic building up in us at that thought that we had been caught. "Uh, it's fine, why?" I asked, glancing over at him. "Being thrown in that ditch, you hit it, right? You've got a bruise," he answered, gesturing to it. I let out a string of chuckles. "Oh, I guess I didn't notice the bruise," I said, my hand coming up to cover the spot Adam had paid attention to early that day. "Thanks for asking Sammy." He shrugged and turned his attention back to the TV. I looked to Adam with a glare and swatted at his feet. He gave me a smirk and a kiss on the lips. The diner was...Well it was nicer than any restaurant we've been too so far. Metal framed tables and chairs, friendly waitresses who brought you a refill and free french fries when you didn't ask for one, juke box in the corner with songs you've never heard of, and a counter bar that hosted the swivel chair that squeaked when you moved. I shot an amused look to Adam and stole a few french fries off of Dean's plate. Dean didn't protest, which surprised me. My friends seemed to take notice. Sam blinked. "Thats a first. Dean didn't complain." "Shut up." Dean said, growing bright red. "Aww. he's blushing. thats sweet." Adam laughs. "Aww." I giggle. Sam's phone started to ring. "Hey, Bobby," he answered with an easy smile. "Hi, Bobby," I greeted, leaning forward so he could hear me. "He says hi," Sam told her before his brow furrowed. "Uh, yeah, hold on," he said, opening his laptop, the screen coming alive with the search engine he always seems to leave it on. "Okay, tell me those names." "No, no, no, you're right, it's definitely weird," Sam said, his attention focused on the computer screen. "Okay, Bobby. Thanks." "What's up?" Dean asked. Sam cleared his throat. "Uh, Bobby found something in Wyoming," he answered. "A job?" he asked, sounding a little too eager. "Maybe," Sam allowed as Dean shoved half of his burger into his mouth. "Small town, no one's died in the past week and a half," he explained. Dean seemed confused as he chewed. "That's so unusual?" he questioned. Sam shrugged. "Well, it's how they're not dying," he stated as he typed furiously again. "Uh, one guy with terminal cancer strolls out of hospice. Another guy gets capped by a mugger, walks away without a scratch." "Capped in the ass?" Dean questioned, getting unamused looks from both me and Adam. Sam took in a deep breath and began to read. "'Police say Mr. Jenkins was shot in the heart at point-blank range by a 9 millimeter.'" Dean's eyebrows shot up. "And he's not a donut?" Sam shook his head. "Locals are saying it's a miracle." Adam let out a snort. "Which usually means it's not," He stated, leaning a little closer to Sam so he could read the police report. "Okay," Dean agreed. Sam thought for a moment before pulling a face. "It's gotta be something nasty, right?" he asked, clearly not understanding. "Maybe people making deals or something?" Dean swallowed hard. "You think?" He asked. Demon deals are still a sore spot for him. "What else would it be?" Sam questioned. "Iuhnuh," Dean supplied the best he could around the mouthful of burger he had just shoved in. I let out a sigh at him and palmed the side of his face, shoving him away slightly. Dean shot her a smirk before going back to his food. Sam gave a small nod. "All right. Get those to go," he said, gesturing to the food. We nodded and did just that. Me and Adam sat in the kitchen of Jim Jenkins, having split up from our friends to cover more area. "Now, you two said you were bloggers?" Jim asked, walking over and taking a seat at the table across from them. I gave him a pleasant smile. "Yes, sir. We run a blog called," I told him, keeping my voice as friendly as I could. "All God's glory fit to blog," Adam added with a cheesy smile. I chuckled nervously and I kicked Adam in the shin under the table. "We wanted to talk to you about what the people in town are calling what happened to you a miracle," I told him. Jim nodded. "It was, plain as day," he answered. "You seem very sure about that." He shrugged. "How else would you explain it?" he asked. "The doctors can't. There's a bullet in my heart that's pumping like a piston." "Well, how do you explain it?" Adam inquired, a look of complete and total disbelief on his face. Jim watched them for a moment before shooting a glance into the living room where his wife and kids were. "Look, honestly I-I was nobody's saint," he admitted. "Not exactly father of the year either." "Okay," Adam encouraged as we nodded in understanding. Yeah. My dad was an abuseive drunk who liked to take his rage out on me. He took in a deep breath. "But when that guy shot me and I didn't bleed a drop I just knew the Lord was giving me a second chance." "Is that so?" Adam asked, his features twitching between disgust and fake pleasantry. Jim watched him for a moment before pressing on. "I had this feeling like angels were watching over me." We shared a look. Jim leaned back in his seat. "I wouldn't expect you guys to understand," he stated. Dean looked back to Jim and seemed to struggle for a moment. "Well, we'll just have to try." I cleared my throat, breaking the tension filled stare the two men were having. "We've noticed a certain pattern with situations like yours and we have to ask," I told him. Jim gave a nod of consent. "Have you been to any crossroads recently?" Jim shook his head. "No." "Have you met anyone who for a split second had black or red eyes?" Jim was far from understanding. "Who'd you guys say you were again?" he asked. Adam flashed him a smile. "Never mind. Thank you for your time," he said, getting up from his seat and heading to the front door. I jumped up and dashed after him, Jim following after with a deep frown pulling at his face. I didn't catch up with him till I was in the Impala and Adam was angrily attempting to get the keys out of his jacket pocket. "Hey, hey, stop," I said, reaching out to grab his hands. "Take a deep breath," I told him. Adam did just that and relaxed into the driver's seat. "They're not demon deals so there's no hell hounds," I told him, my thumbs running across the top of his knuckles. He let out a humorless laugh. "How'd you guess?" he asked, his eyes drifting shut. "Any rational person would be wary of the monster that killed a loved one," I pointed out. "Especially a monster they can't see." Adam gave a weak smile. "I still have nightmares about banshees," I told him. "Really?" he asked, opening his eyes to look over to me. "You've never woken me up." I chuckled lightly. "Please, you sleep like the dead." He narrowed his eyes in thought. "How bad are they?" I shrugged. "It's just her scream. Empty motel room and her scream, and it's my dad abusing me, and monsters killing everyone I love." I explained, spacing off as she thought about it. "Hey," Adam said, snapping out of her thoughts. "Next time it happens you wake me up, okay?" My eyes widened slightly but she nodded anyways. "Yeah, okay, but only if you do the same," I told him. "I thought I woke you up anyways?" he asked, remembering all the times I had rubbed his back while he breathed heavily into his pillow at an attempt to get his heartbeat back to normal. I nodded. "True, but not every nightmare wakes you up like that," I reminded him. "What do you mean?" "Like those nights where you wake up and you lock yourself in the bathroom for an hour," I told him. "Wake me up for those." Adam swallowed hard, defeated in the fact that I had found out the one thing he thought he had managed to keep from her. "Please?" I asked, raising one hand to cup the side of his face so he couldn't look away from me. He took in a deep breath, his eyes glancing away from hers for amount before he nodded. "Yeah, okay," he agreed. "Thank you," I said before learning forward to press a kiss to his cheek. Seeing an opportunity Adam turned his head at the last moment and connected his lips to mine. My eyebrows shot up at that but didn't pull away from him, instead I moved my hand from his cheek and threaded it through his hair while my other ran up his arm and to his shoulder. Following my lead he moved his hands till they rested on my hips, bringing me closer to him. Smirking at the memory of the spot on my neck he trailed his lips down till he reached it. I let out yelp before I pushed myself away from the youngest Winchester, a playful glare in my eyes. "You are not giving me another hickey," I told him, pointing an accusing finger at him. He chuckled and licked his lips. "You didn't seem to mind the first time," he stated. I rolled my eyes at him and smacked his shoulder. "Just drive, Winchester," I told him, trying to hide my smile. I looked up from my laptop when Sam and Adam stepped into the room. "Hey," Sam greeted while Dean sat down in the chair. "Anything?" Dean greeted back. Sam's eyebrows shot up. "That cancer survivor? He was clinically dead," he explained. "His wife pulled the plug and now he's taking her out for their 20th anniversary." "Any sign of a deal?" Adam asked. "No. What about you? Find anyone dying around here?" "Not since Cole Griffith," Adam answered, bringing up the photo of the boy on Sam's laptop. "He dropped 10 days ago. It was the last death I could find." Sam shook his head in confusion. "So, what are you thinking?" Dean shrugged. "Maybe it is what the people say it is," He suggested. Sam let out a huff. "Miracles?" he asked, taking Dean's seat as he got up to get a cup of coffee. "Dean, our experience, when do miracles just happen?" He questioned. Dean let out a sigh as he grabbed one of the coffee mugs. "There's no deals. There's, uh, no skeevy faith healers," He listed off as he poured his cup. "I mean, these souls just ain't getting dragged into the light," He stated with a tired chuckle. A light bulb went off in Sam's head. "Maybe because there's no one around to carry 'em," he suggested. Dean put the pot away and walked back to his brother. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Reapers," Adam spoke up. Sam nodded to him. "Yeah, Grim Reapers," he agreed. "That's what they do, right, schlep souls?" he asked. "So if death ain't in town-" "Then nobody's dying," Dean finished. "So, what, the local Reaper's on strike? Playing the back nine?" he asked, seeming skeptic. "I don't know, Sam," he said, taking a gulp of his coffee. "Well, then let's talk to somebody who might," Sam stated. Dean gave him a look. "Last I checked, Huggy Bear ain't available," he said with a smile. Sam shook his head. "No, dude, the kid." "The kid? The kid's a doornail." "Nice, Dean," I chastised with a frown. He gave me an apologetic smile. Sam looked between the two before continuing with his point. "Exactly. Look if he was the last person to die, then maybe he's seen something. We should talk to him." Dean laughed lightly at that. "I love how matter-of-fact you are about that," he stated. "Strange lives," he muttered before taking another gulp. "Are you seriously suggesting that we have a séance at this kid's grave?" Adam asked, sitting up a little straighter. "How else are we supposed to talk to him?" Sam asked. "I don't know." Adam muttered. Wrapping his arm around my shoulder. "So I think we'll sit this one out, boys," I stated, smiling as Adam blushed. "Fine, party poopers." Both of us jumped when the motel door was suddenly thrown open. Our eyes widened when Sam walked in, supporting a stumbling Dean. "What the hell happened?!" Adam demanded while I jumped up and helped Sam bring Dean over to the bed. "Alistair showed up," Sam answered, letting his brother drop to the bed. "Threw Dean and he hit his head against a gravestone." Adam threw her hands up. "See? This is why you leave the graves of little boys alone," I said. "Well, I didn't really expect Alistair to show up," Sam defended, watching as his brother blinked lazily up at the ceiling. "I think he has a concussion." I frowned and went to my pack, pulling out one of my smaller flashlights. I leaned over Dean and forced one of his eyes wider with my free hand before shining the light into it, watching as his pupil shrunk to accommodate the new light. "I think he's just out of it," I stated, looking over to Sam. "The room is spinning," Dean stated, his voice a groan. I grimaced down at him before looking back up to Sam. "Why don't I keep an eye on him while you and Adam go back to talk to the dead kid?" I asked, hoping my tone was as innocent as I wanted it to. I've always wanted to play the roll as a big sister. I haven't got to know what that feels like. But now I do. I might have a chance to do just that. Become a big sister. Sam nodded. "Let's get going," he said before turning and leaving through the still open door. "Good luck." I said looking back down to Dean who looked like he was going to throw up if he moved. "How're you feeling, Dean?" He let out a groan. "There are howler monkeys in my head, and they say 'Hi Mia'" he stated, his hand slowly coming up to press over his face. I winced and left him to grab a washcloth from the bathroom and a handful of ice from the cooler before returning to him. I climbed up onto the bed and sat cross legged by his head, gently prying his hands away to press the ice pack there instead. Dean grunted and pushed himself further onto the bed. I began to hum Hey Jude. "Will you sing it?" he asked, his voice almost sounding childish. "Only if you sing it with me," I told him, knowing that in the off chance that he really did have a concussion I had to keep him awake. "Are Sam and Addie gone?" I laughed at that and nodded. "Yeah, they're gone," I answered. He let out a sigh. "Fine, I'll sing it." "Hey Jude, don't make it bad," I started, my smile widening when he joined me. My friends unlocked the motel door. Sammy paused when he stepped through, a little surprised to find his brother's head in my lap with an ice pack pressed to his head. "How're you doing?" He asked, closing the door once Adam came in, pausing just like he had with an amused smile on his lips. Adam walked over to me and gave me a kiss on the lips. "So did you go back and Q&A the dead kid?" Dean asked, effectively changing the subject. "Didn't have to." Sam said. "What? Why?" I frowned. "Bobby called and he did some digging," he answered, sitting across from Dean. "And?" I asked. Sam pulled a smug look. "He thinks I'm right," he told us. "Local reapers gone. Not just gone, kidnapped." "By demons? Why?" "I don't know, but nothing good can come out of it." Dean sat up straighter. "Which mean what I think it means?" he asked, sounding even more tired. "Basically, you kill a Reaper,you got yourself two dead reapers and no deaths the way it should be." Sam explained. "How do you ice a Reaper? You can't kill death," Dean stated, finding a little hard to believe. Sam shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe demons can." Adam shook his head as he walked over to sit beside me. "Reapers are just creatures that follow the orders of Death," He stated. "They don't have the power to kill someone unless they have his permission. All they really do is collect the souls for him, it's possible that there is a way to kill them." I nodded. "And if it's Alistair then I have no doubt he's found a way." "Where the hell are the angels is what I wanna now. We could use their help for one," Sam said, closing his notebook and tossing it aside onto the nightstand. Dean nodded in agreement. "It looks like we'll have to take care of this." Sam didn't seem convinced. "We gonna just swing in and save the friendly neighborhood Reaper?" "You got a better idea, I'm all ears," Dean stated. "Dean, Reaper's are invisible," Sam reminded him. "The only people who can seen them are the dead and the dying." Dean nodded as if that wasn't a problem. "If ghosts are the only ones who can see 'em…." "Yeah?" Sam encouraged. "Then we become ghosts," he finished. "You do have a concussion," Sam stated, nodding slowly. Dean pressed the ice pack back to his head. "Sound crazy, I know." "It is crazy." Dean simply shrugged. "What we do is crazy." "How?" Sam questioned, wanting to hear what his brother had come up with this time. Dean simply smiled. Addie chuckled humorlessly. "She's going to hate us by the end of this," he stated, letting himself fall backwards on to the bed, my hands coming up to cover my face. "Your idea, you going and get her," I stated, smacking Dean on the shoulder. "Wait, who?" Sam asked, looking between the us. "Pamela," We answered. Sam got up and opened the motel door to reveal a rather unamused Pamela on the other side. "I can't even begin to tell you how crazy you two are," she stated, walking into the room. Dean pulled a face, clearly having heard this all the way back. Sam cleared his throat. "Well, Pamela, you're a sight for sore eyes." Pamela let out a humorless chuckle and turned back to him, lowering her sunglasses low enough for the boys to see her eyes. "Aw, that's sweet, Grumpy," she said. "What do you say to deaf people?" she asked. Sam had the sense to look ashamed. She pushed her glasses back up. "Which one of you braincases came up with astral projection?" Dean pointed to himself. "Yo." She let out a huff. "Of course. Chachi," She said before looking over in the mine and Adam's direction. "And you two are going along with this?" She asked. "Yes, we are." Adam says, giving me a kiss on the forehead. "Besides, out-of-body experiences are always fun." Dean says. Pamela sighed, "So let's be clear," She said. "You wanna rip your souls out of your bodies and take a little stroll through the spirit world?" "Mm-hm," Dean answered. "Do you have any idea how heavy-duty insane that is?" she questioned. Dean nodded, stepping forward. "Maybe, but that's where the Reaper is, so-" "So it's nuts," Pamela stated. "Not if you know what you're doing," Dean defended. Pamela let out a huff. "You don't know what you're going." "No," Dean agreed. "But you do." "Yeah, I do," Pamela stated. "And guess what? I'm sick of being hauled back into your angel-demon Soc-graser crap," she snapped. Dean got defensive. "I'd love to be kicking back with a cold one, watching Judge Judy too." "Nice. More blind jokes?" she asked. "You know what I mean," Dean stated, sounding rather fed up. "We're talking the end of the world here, okay? No more tasseled leather pants, no more Ramones CDs, no more nothing. We need your help." We watched as Dean and Sam set up for the spell, lighting candles and closing the shades. We remained stationed on the bed, knowing Pamela wouldn't let us help even if we wanted to. "Tell me something, geniuses," Pamela started with a sigh. "Even if you do break intot he veil and you find the Reaper, how you gonna save it?" She questioned. Dean held his arms out to the side and flashed her a mocking smile. "With style and class," he answered sarcastically. Pamela let out a scoff. "You're gonna be four walking pieces of fog," she told us. "You can't touch or move anything. You'll be defenseless, hotshot." Sam came to Dean's defense. "I seem to recall a bunch of ghosts beating the crap out of us." "Yeah, they had plenty of time to practice," she reminded him. Dean refused to be deterred from his plan. "Well, then I guess we gotta start cramming." I was sure if Pamela could have, she would have rolled her eyes. "Wow! Couple of heroes," She mocked with a very unimpressed tone. "All right," she said, leaning over in her seat to patting the closest bed to her. "Lay down. Close your eyes." Adam got up from next to me and onto the bed he shared with me and laid down, leaving enough space for me. My head rested on his biceps and he rubbed my back in soft circles. He gave me a kiss on the lips which I gladly returned back. "I love you." He says, plating another kiss on my cheek. "I love you too." I say, smiling. Dean and Sam quietly said aww and they smile. Pamela took in a deep breath before reciting the Latin spell. "Okay, guys, that's it," She said once she finished. "Show time." Adam sat up with a sigh. "Well, nothing like shooting blanks," he said, looking to Pamela with a frown. "What's plan B?" he asked. Pamela acted as if she couldn't hear him. We looked over when a whooshing noise filled our ears and finding both Sam and Dean standing on the other side of the room while their bodies remained on the bed. Dean looked back and found his own body lying there. "Oh, I'm so feeling up Demi Moore," he stated. "All right, so I'm assuming you're somewhere over the rainbow," Pamela spoke. "Remember, I have to bring you back," She reminded them before getting up from her chair and walking over to Sam's body. "I'll whisper the incantation in your ear," She stated before leaning down to whisper in his ear. I raised an eyebrow up at Sam when he laughed, a wide smile pulling at his lips. I laughed, laughed loudly, and a grin formed on my lips. "What'd she say? What'd she say?" Dean demanded, looking to his brother with a certain childlike curiosity. Sam didn't answer, simply shaking his head. We had managed to get ourselves out of the motel and onto the street, wandering around aimlessly. Nothing interesting happened till a jogger ran straight through both Sam and Dean. Dean laughed with an amused smile. "That's wild," he stated. Sam just looked creeped out. A light bulb seemed to go off in Dean's head and he raised his arm to go half way through Sam's chest. Sam looked down at his brothers arm before fixing his brother with the best Winchester fuck-off stare I had seen in a long time. Dean noticed and put on an innocent face. "Am I making you uncomfortable?" He questioned. "Get out of me," Sam ordered. Dean did just that. Giggles slipped through my lips as a wide smile erupted on my face. I pointed between the two brothers. "He-He was inside him," I laughed. "He-he-he-" "Mia, please," Sam said, clearly embarrassed. Dean turned his attention back to his brother and pulled a face. "You're such a prude," He stated. "Come on," He said before walking off. "We've been spooking this town for hours," Dean stated as they crossed the street. "And no demons, no black smoke. I saw we hit Victoria's Secret, get our peep on, huh?" Adam scoffed and swung his hand through Dean's head, probably hoping it caused him some sort of discomfort. "Hey, hey," Sam said, coming to a stop as something caught his attention. "Three o'clock. Kid in the window." We all followed his gaze and spotted the boy in the window. "Am I crazy or is he looking at us?" Sam asked. "That's because we've seen him before," Dean stated. "We have?" Adam frowned. I squinted up at the boy. "Isn't that the boy who died?" I asked. Dean nodded. "Cole Griffith. The last person to die in this town," he explained before the boy suddenly flickered and disappeared. "Come on," I said before making my way towards the house. With slight hesitation I stepped through the front door and into the house, the others following behind me. I led the way upstairs and towards the room a woman's voice was coming front. I stepped into the doorway just in time for a woman and several sports balls to go through her. "Hey, hey, stop!" I snapped, holding my hands up in defense. "Who are you?!" the little boy asked, sounding a little more than pissed off. Adam stepped forward, effectively blocking me from his view. "Relax, Cole," he said, trying to sound calm but really shouting. "It's okay." Cole deflated slightly. "How do you know my name?" he asked. The brothers glanced between each other before Sam took another step forward. "Look, this isn't gonna be easy to hear but….you're dead," he said. "You're a spirit. Us too," he told him, gesturing to their little group. Cole shot him a sarcastic look. "Yeah, thanks, Haley Joel. I know I'm dead," he stated. "What do you want?" Sam seemed a little put out. "We just wanna talk." "About what?" We followed Cole back downstairs where he leaned in the doorway to the kitchen, watching his mom pour a glass of what looked like gin. "I was outside all morning," Cole said before turning to look to us. "They tell you to be careful when it's cold." Confusion pulled at Dean's face. "Cold air can cause an asthma attack?" I nodded. "Cold air is heavier to breathe. Plus it carries fungus, molds and dust," she rambled off. Dean's eyebrows shot up as he looked over to me. I shrugged. "I knew some kids who had it," I explained before motioning for Cole to continue. He took in a deep breath. "Then I was in my room. It happened so fast. I called out for my mom, but nothing came out. Everything started spinning and then I was just standing there looking down at my body," he explained while leaning against the back of one of the chairs. There was a moment of silence as we took in Cole's death. Sam broke the quiet. "And that's when you say the man." Cole nodded. "Creepy old guy in a black suit. Wanted me to go with him but," he paused to look back at his mom, "I didn't wanna go." "Reaper," Sam stated, glancing to his brothers. Adam didn't quite understand something. "How did you make him leave?" He asked, knowing for a fact that a reaper wouldn't just leave a soul, a child's soul no less, alone without orders or extreme force. He looked up to him. "I didn't," he answered, his voice cracking just a little. "The black smoke did." "Black smoke?" Dean asked, sitting up just a little straighter at the mention of demons. I chocked a bit on air, my eyes grow wide. Me and demons aren't on the best of terms. Cole nodded. "It was everywhere," he explained. "I hid in the closet and when I came out, it was gone and so was he." "You didn't happen to see where the smoke went, did you?" I asked, sounding just as concerned as Dean had. "No. But I know where it is," he answered before the lights in the house started to flicker. "They're back," he stated. "Who?" all four of us asked before Cole flickered out of the room. Our attention was drawn to the front door when a wispy figure flew through the door and went up the stairs. "Another reaper," Sam stated as they rushed forward. "Hey!" Dean shouted, hoping to catch its attention. "Hey, wait! We need to talk to you!" "Oh shit," I whispered when they stopped at the foot of the stairs, the form of Tessa stepping down towards them. Adam glanced at the brothers before looking back to the reaper and shaking her head quickly, gesturing to Adan and me while doing so. Tessa looked between them, slight confusion on her face as to why she wasn't allowed to greet us but quickly turned her attention to the oldest Winchester. "Dean." He leaned away from her slightly. "Do I know you?" he questioned. "We go way back," she told him, a smile pulling at her lips. She glanced at Sam before continuing her way down the stairs, trailing off into the living room. "You don't remember me?" she asked, turning to look to Dean. Dean watched her for a moment before deciding that, no, he did not know her. "Honestly, if I had a nickel for every time I heard a girl say that," he said, nodding his head to the side. "You're gonna have to freshen my memory," he told her. I rolled my eyes at that, knowing just how reapers made their victims 'remember'. Tessa stepped forward, grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him forward till her lips connected with his. Dean pulled away from the kiss after a moment of mind melting, his eyes wide as he looked at the woman in front of him. "Tessa." She nodded. "That's one of my names, yeah," she said, looking over to Adam and I. "So you do know her," Sam accused, appearing a little confused and pissed off. Dean didn't take his eyes off her. "From the hospital, after the accident." "The accident with dad and Adam?" he asked. Dean simply nodded, that certain hospital trip not being one of his favorites. Sam let out a huff. "So this is the Reaper that came after you," he stated. "Yeah." Tessa looked between the two brother before taking in a breath. "Well, this was fun," she stated. "Now, if you'll excuse me-" Dean moved in her way. "Wait, wait, wait. You can't-" he cut off before shaking his head. "You can't take the kid," he stated. "Why?" she challenged. "Demons are in town, that's why. They've already snatched your Reaper pal. Kid knows where." This news didn't seem to shock Tessa in the bit. "So?" "So you should shag ass," Sam interrupted. "For all we know, they could try and snatch you too." She didn't seem very amused. "Except that this town is off the rails," she explained, "And someone has to set it straight." Their attention was momentarily diverted when Cole's mother stepped into the room. Dean turned his gaze back to the Reaper. "Yeah, we understand that. But these are special circumstances." Tessa raised an eyebrow. "What, your whole angel-demon dance-off?" She asked. "I could care less. I just wanna do my job." Sam stepped forward. "Right, yeah, we wanna help you do your job. So if you would just baili town-" "No," she said with a tone that left little room to argue. "Well, then could you hold off until we fix this?" Dean asked, his tone close to pleading. "Please?" Tessa watched him for a moment before looking over to me and Adam, a questioning look in her eyes. We both nodded, silently hoping that we would be able to take care of this, knowing that we would not only have Tessa on their asses but Death as well if they didn't. She let out a suffering sigh. "All right, but just so we're clear, when I start reaping again," she paused for dramatic effect, "I'm starting with the kid." Dean leaned away from her, his jaw ticking at that. Sensing the tension Sam spoke up. "Understood," he said. "I'll go find him," he said before moving to go up the stairs. Dean tore his eyes off Tessa. "Wait, wait, wait, what- what are you going to tell him?" he asked. Sam took in a deep breath. "Whatever I have to," He answered. "We'll go with you," Adam said, shooting me a pointed look before we followed Sam up the stairs. I stopped at the top and nodded to Adam before lowering myself to sit on the step, intent on listening to whatever Tessa said to Dean in case I would have to intervene. *Adam's POV* I nodded back and followed Sam into Cole's room where she hovered near the door, still a little weary of the ghost boy. I watched Sam step over to the ajar closet and slide down the wall so he was sitting next to it. "This all must be pretty overwhelming, huh?" he asked, keeping his voice level. "Pretty scary too." "The worst is my mom," Cole stated, his voice breaking. Sam took in a deep breath. "Must be hard seeing her like this," he noted, remembering how our father had been. Cole moved over slightly so Sam could see his face. "She's always coming in here, talking to me, telling me how sad she is. I knock some stuff over to let her know I'm here, but she only gets sadder." I bit my lip at that. This was the other reason I didn't like dead children, they never wanted to leave their mothers because they've never known anything else. Stay with your mother and don't leave her, no matter what. They were always scared and helpless and it tore at my heart. "Yeah, you might wanna ease up on the flying soccer balls," he stated, tagging a small laugh onto the end. Cole didn't seem amused. "I'm not telling you where the smoke is," he told him. Sam swallowed hard as he struggled to force himself through this conversation. "Hey….What if I told you that I helped me you wouldn't have to leave here ever?" My eyes widened at that. I hadn't thought that he would go that far. "What about the ones downstairs?" Cole asked. "Tessa?" he asked. "Oh, she wouldn't bother you," he told him. "No Reaper would. You could just stay here with your family for as long as you wanted." "You can do that?" Sam scrunched up his face as he nodded. "Yeah, you be I can do that," he answered, his voice wavering as he swallowed hard at the lie. I gripped the door jam in an attempt to keep from running over and hugging the poor man. "You swear?" I held my breath as I waited for Sam to answer. "I swear," he spoke through a clenched jaw. *Mia's POV* "I'll tell you, life is funny," Tessa said, actual amusement in her tone. "What do you mean?" Dean growled out. I scooted down a few steps and peered through the bars at them. Praying to whoever was listening that Tessa kept away from the topic of me and Adam. She watched him for a moment. "You and me, together again." Dean's eyebrows shot up at that. "Are you-" he cut off to look around him. "Are you making a move on me?" I couldn't help but roll my eyes at that. "You're the one that got away, Dean," I told him. "You'd be surprised how little that happens to me." Dean seemed to think about something for a moment, looking Tessa dead in the eye. "Can I tell you something between you and me?" he asked. My eyes widened at that. "Who am I gonna tell?" Well, she could tell Death, then all hell would break loose. Dean chuckled humorlessly at that. "After our little, uh, experience," he started, taking in a deep breath, "for that whole year I felt like I had this hole in my gut. Like I was missing something. I didn't know what. But you know what it was?" he asked, his voice getting thicker. "It was you." I nearly fell down the stairs at that. "The pain of losing my father, Adam and Sammy," he shook his head. "I just- I wish I'd gone with you for good." I hadn't known that his self-loathing went back that far. "But I guess things are different now," he stated with a humorless huff. "What?" Tessa asked, her voice soft. "The angels on your shoulder." "So you know about that, huh?" he asked. "Well, hey, don't get me wrong. Most of the ones I've met are dicks with wings. But still…." He trailed off, shaking his head. "You know, I've don't things. Horrible things. And someone upstairs still decided to give me a second chance. It just makes me feel," Dean clenched his jaw. "I don't know." Tessa frowned at her. "Uh-huh." I jumped out of my skin and looked behind me when something passed through me. I stood up when she found Courtney, Sam and Cole standing there. I flashed them an uneasy smile before following them downstairs, hoping that I hadn't looked like a complete idiot with her face pressed between the bars. "Hey, guys," Sam greeted, getting the twos attention. "Hey, Cole," Tessa greeted, giving him a sweet smile. "I'm Tessa. I'm not going to hurt you," she told him. "It's okay, Cole," Sam stated. "Just tell them what you told me." Cole looked them all over before taking in a deep breath. "I saw the black smoke at my funeral," he answered. "At the cemetery?" Dean asked. Cole shook his head. "At the funeral home. It was everywhere." This would have been a moment of relief if the lights hadn't started flickering. Dean looked to Tessa with a hopeful expression. "You doing that?" he asked. "No." "SHIT!" I said before the front door burst open, waves of black smoke charging through the house and swarming them in the living room. I hunched over in on myself in an attempt of defense, Adam protecting me as best he could, screaming I love you over the howl of the wind planting a kiss on my lips, and grabbing my hand and slipping mine with his, although I found that futile when everything slipped away. *Dean's POV* We straightened when the smoke suddenly pulled itself out of the house, slamming the front door behind it. "Tessa?!" I called out when he noticed that the Reaper wasn't next to me. Sam's eyes widened as he looked around him. "Dean, where are Adam and Mia?" He asked, panicked. My eyes widened, a certain kind of a panic filling me at the thought of Mia and Adam being in the hands of demons. "MIA!" he yelled. "ADAM!" Sam shouted, sounding just as frantic me. "NO!" I yelled. "NO!" I felt my eyes become wet with tears, and I started sobbing. "NO!" I yelled again, falling to the ground. I looked over at Sam, tears pricking my eyes. "No..." We whispered. That's when a few tears slipped though my eyes. Sam ran a hand though his hair, and I saw him crying. *Mia's POV* My eyes shot open and I found myself staring up at a white ceiling with rafters. I thought back to Cole's house, knowing that it didn't have rafters and let out a groan when I realized where I was. I knew the demons were going to take Tessa but I never through they were going to take her. "You awake, Mia?" I pushed myself up into a sitting position and looked across the room. "Adam?" I asked when I spotted him siting cross legged in the middle of a ring of salt. "Why the hell did they take us?" I asked. Adam shrugged. "Leverage against my brothers?" "That's great," I said before looking down at my own ring of salt. I reached out slowly, determined to force my hand passed it but drew it back when a feeling of nausea slammed into me. "Holy shit," I gasped. "So that's what it feels like." Adam nodded with a frown. "I feel a little bad now," He stated. I nodded in agreement. "Hello." Both of our heads snapped over to look at the demon who had just entered the room. "I don't get a greeting in return?" he asked, stepping further into the room. "That depends on what your intentions are," Adam stated, ignoring the warning look I shot him. Alastair turned his attention to him, a smile pulling at his lips. "You must be Adam Milligan Winchester," he stated, walking over to him. "I've heard such nice things about you." Adam's eyebrows shot up. "And what would these nice things be?" "That you're skilled in the beautiful art of torture," he answered, crouching down in front of him. He smiled at him. "Did your demons tell you that?" "They told me a lot of things," he stated, going to reach out but stopping when he neared the salt line. He sneered and pulled back. "Things like how close you are with little miss Mia." "There's some angelic interference." He turned his head in a questioning way. "I thought you two were on the side of the angels?" Adam chuckled and gave him a wide smile. "Just because we're on the side of the angels doesn't mean we are one." He watched him for a moment before laughing. He got back up to his feet and sauntered over to me, his smile pulling at his lips. "If it isn't the baby girl of the family," he said before doing the same he had done with Adam and crouching before me. "If it isn't Hell's number one asshole," I greeted back, a smile of my own stretched across my face. "I've heard a lot about you." A snarky smile touches my lips. I swear, my friends attitude rubs off me. "Oooh, I made number one, huh?" he asked. I shrugged. "I find Lucifer more agreeable than you." "You wouldn't think that if you met him, honey buns." I had to physically hold back the gag that clawed its way up my throat and keep the smile. Adam's ghostly form flickered, showing how pissed he was. He chuckled again. "Such a good liar you are," he praised. "Although I suppose you would need to be what with…." He trailed off, looking down at my arms. I kept my smile but pulled my sleeves down further. I do bot want him to see my scars. Alastair's smile twisted wider before he got to his feet and walked off, disappearing through another doorway. "God, I hate him," Adam growled out. "You okay, Mia?" I swallowed hard, my fingers clutching the hem of my sleeves. "Yeah, just fine," I answered, my voice distant as I watched the salt line around me. He frowned at that. Dean appeared behind him, tapped him on the shoulder before clocking him in the jaw. We pushed ourselves up to our knees, our eyes wide as they watched the Winchester's take down the demon Casper style. Panic welled up in us when the demon started to crawl towards the coffin at the front of the room. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" both of us shouted as the two men followed the demon. "Well, you know, this ghost thing, it's kind of rad," Dean spoke, smiling over at his brother. "Idiot!" We shouted at him before a demon came out from behind the curtain, dragging a chain across the front of the coffin. The first demon jumped up and ran free before the second one connected the chair, effectively capturing the two idiots in a chain of iron. "It's iron," Sam stated. The demon who had handled the chain groaned as his hands continued to smoke, stepping back as far as he could from the damned thing as the boys looked on with helpless expressions. "Boys." Adam slumped when Alastair's voice ran through the room, looking over to find him, once again, standing at the stairs. "Find the place okay?" I leaned back slightly as he walked down, opting to walk around on my side of the Reapers, ignoring the smile he shot me as he did so. He stopped in front of the boys, looking them up and down before the first demon stepped forward and handed him a shot gun. He admired it for a moment before aiming it at Dean and pulling the trigger, blasting him away. "Rock salt's not so much fun anymore, is it?" he asked, looking to Sam. Dean flickered back into view with a groan. "Alastair," he breathed out. "You bastard." He ignored him. "Well go on," he said, his attention still on Sam. "Why don't you try some of your mojo on me now, hotshot?" Dean looked to his brother with accusing eyes. Me and Adam stared at him. "It's hard to get it up when you're not wearing your meat, huh?" "Go to hell," Sam sneered. Alastair looked annoyed. "Oh, if only I could. But they just keep sending me back up to this Artic crap hole," he said, turning away from them and stepping over to the Reapers. "To kill Death?" Dean demanded. "No, to kill Death twice," he told them, holding up two fingers. "It takes two to break a seal," he stated as if talking to a child. "I figured another one would show up, you know. They're like lemmings," He said before cocking the gun and firing at Sam. He sauntered over to Dean. "By the way it's good to see you again, Dean." Dean's jaw ticked. "You can shoot us all you want, but you can't kill us," he growled out. Alastair gave a small smirk. "Oh, is that so?" My eyes widened at that. "Alastair don't!" I snapped. How had Alastair known where they were?! He looked over his shoulder at me. "Too late, sweetheart," he told me. I grimaced at the use of Adam's nickname for me and turned my attention to Adam, a silent question in his eyes. He frowned but nodded anyways, knowing neither of us could let something happen to Pamela. Dean and Sam's eyes widened as we flickered and disappeared, both of us not noticing the small smile Alastair wore on his lips. "Anywho," Alastair trailed off, turning his attention back to the boys. We flickered into the motel room just in time to see a demon throw Pamela against the wall and onto the dresser, a knife clutched in his hand. "Pam!" Adam yelled before rushing forward, tackling the demon to the ground. I went to Pamela and helped her down, checking her over for any injuries before turning to help Adam. I wrestled one of the demons arms down and pinned it to the floor before pressing my hand over his face. Adam pinned the other arm and placed his hand over mine. "Oe oiad monasci ol oiad olani adrpan ils ol donasdogmatatatos!" We shouted together before light erupted from the demons eyes and mouth. With a final yell the body the demon had once inhabited fell limp and the room once again went quiet. We glanced back at her before looking to each other, frowns pulling at our lips as we realized what we had just showed her. Pamela took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You okay?" I asked with a grimace, hoping I wasn't going to freak out. She nodded slowly, her jaw clenching. "I'm okay," she said. "But this is the last time those boys get to pull me into something like this," She stated, her voice shaking slightly. "After I wake them up I'm gone. You tell them to lose my number, forget my name, all right?" she asked. "We'll tell them," I agreed, understanding that they had put the woman through more than they should have. She stood up but paused and looked back down at us. "That doesn't include you," she told us. "You two need help, you call me, okay?" We nodded. "Thanks, Pamela," Adam said, reaching out to squeeze her hand. She shot us a smile before moving to the boys. We looked over when both Dean and Sam gasped and jerked up from the bed. Adam quickly searched through the rest of the contacts on Sam's third phone and deleting Pamela's, noticing that I was doing to same. "Where's Pamela?" Sam asked, looking worriedly around the room. "She left," Adam answered. His eyebrows pulled together. "What? Why?" He let out a sigh and tossed the phone into his bag with the others. "Almost being gutted by a demon was the last straw." "She told us to tell you to forget her number," I added, holding up one of Dean's phones for emphasis, "and forget her name." The two brothers looked guiltily at each other, both knowing that they had taken advantage of her and her abilities. It was enough that they had blinded her but to bring her that close to death was an understandable breaking point. "Where is she going to go?" Sam asked, looking all that and a kicked puppy. "If she's smart somewhere warm," I answered before pointing down at the body still lying on the floor. "And since this whole thing was your guys' idea you get to take the unconscious man to the hospital," I stated. "What are you two going to do?" Sam questioning, noticing Adam grabbing his bag. "Dinner," he stated before me and Adam left the motel room, leaving bewildered looking Winchesters behind. "So they don't know," Tessa stated when she appeared in the alley before the girls. "No, and thank you for keeping it that way," I said, giving her a soft smile. "Glad to see you made it out okay." "How's Grandpa Death?" Adam asked, shoving his hands in his pockets. "As he always is," Tessa answered before a smile pulled at her lips. "He misses you too." I chuckled lightly. "I highly doubt that," I stated. Adam couldn't help but chuckle. "We'll have to visit soon," he stated. I shot him a wide eyed look before shaking her head. "You're time will come soon enough," Tessa told him, her smile softening. "It's lucky you got to your friend in time to save her." Adam rolled his eyes. "We all know that luck had nothing to do with it. Pamela wasn't meant to die." Tessa allowed a knowing look. "It was nice seeing you two again. I look forward to the next time," she said before disappearing. "I hate when she does that," Adam grumbled. "Only Batman can do that." I rolled my eyes and pulled Adam back out the alley and towards the diner we had seen on our way into town. I pushed open the motel door and wasn't surprised to find the boys broodingly sitting on opposite sides of the room, Sam on his laptop and Dean on his. I frowned at that but didn't make a fuss, knowing that today hadn't been the best of days for any of us. "This is going to be fun," Adam grumbled before heading over to Sam, holding his salad out to him. I let out a sigh and walked over to Dean. "Extra bacon, scrambled egg, medium rare burger on a toasted bun with extra large stake fries," I listed off, smiling down at him. "Trade you?" Dean had replaced the bag with the laptop faster than any of us thought he could move. I blinked several times before nodding slowly, seeming to accept the transaction before setting his laptop down onto the table before reaching into the cooler and pulling out two beers, twisting my fingers in the way I had learned from my dad being a drunken bastard all the time. I handed one to Dean then Sam and walked over to the cooler again and grabbing two water bottles and giving one to Adam and each of them gave me a smile of thanks. Adam reached up and gave me a kiss. I sat on his lap and his lips find my neck. "Whudiduge?" Dean asked around a mouthful of food. I let out a sigh as I sat down. "It's not sad I understood that," I muttered to myself before reaching into my own bag. "Do you honestly expect me to let a burger like that not pass my lips?" I asked, pulling out the same burger I had gotten Dean. He chuckled and held his burger out to mine. I smirked and tapped mine against his before taking a bigger bite than I should have. Dean choked on his gulp of beer as he watched me try to chew through the food. Sam shook his head at us and turned to Adam. "Hey, so, what happened back at the funeral home?" He asked. Adam raised an eyebrow as he chewed a piece of chicken from his salad. "What do you mean?" He asked. "How did you and Mia flicker out of the salt ring?" He asked. Adam chuckled lightly and gave him a sly smirk. "Today wasn't our first rodeo," He told him. "How many times have we astral projected?" I glanced back at him and cringed. "More times than I've cared for," I answered around a mouthful of burger. "At least this time I was drunk for the first part." "Hey, how come you two were able to leave the salt rings?" Dean asked as he shoved a handful of fries into his mouth. I rolled my eyes. "We weren't fully ghosts were we?" I asked. "We still had living bodies that we were attached to," I told him, praying that both men would believe me and leave it at that. Dean seemed to think for a moment before nodding and going back to his food. I let out a soft sigh and Adam did the same. I couldn't help but notice the slight confusion on Sam's face at my explanation, the clogs in his head turning as he went through every book he had read about ghosts to see if what I had said made sense. After a moment he pulled a face before going back to his salad. I woke when an unsettling chill became a constant on my exposed skin. I searched around me for the covers and rolled over to see if Adam was hogging them when I couldn't. I pushed myself into a sitting position when I found Adam's side full and snuggled into him. I blinked and looked around the darkened motel room. A frown pulled at my lips when I saw the light on under the bathroom door. "Son of a bitch," I whispered as I climbed off the bed and walked over to the closed door. I pressed I ear to it and gripped the doorknob when I heard a muffled gag. Dean sat hunched over the toilet, his back arched inward as he dry heaved. I closed the door as quietly as I could before stepping over to the man, my hand coming down to run across his shoulders. He tensed at the contact and glanced up at me, his eyes watered and heavy leaded. "You said you would wake me up," I reminded him. He chuckled humorlessly. "I'm surprised I didn't," he said before once again gagging into the bowl. I frowned and walked over to the sink where I grabbed a washcloth, wetted it and brought it back over to Dean where I laid it across the back of his neck. I crouched down next to him and continued to run my hand up and down his back. I remained that way till Dean pulled away from me and leaned against the bathroom wall, his arms resting on his knees as his fingers knotted in his hair. I watched him for a moment before moving over and kneeling in front of him, my hands gripping his in an attempt to pull them away. "Come on, Dean, please, talk to me," I all but pleaded. "Why do you think they saved me?" he asked, his voice hallow as his eyes remained on the off-white tiled floor. I let out a silent sigh, wishing he would stop doing that to himself. "Because they need a Winchester." "They had Sammy and Adam, why did they need me?" he asked, raising his head to look to me. My words caught in my throat at the sight of the utter brokenness in Dean's eyes and the tears that were skimming down his face. I watched him for a moment before I brought my hands down and ran my thumbs across the tear tracks, whipping them away as I took in a deep breath. "Because no matter what anyone- and this includes you," I told him, giving him a pointed look, "says about you, you will always be the world's best hunter." "My dad-" I lowered a hand to cover his mouth. "If they wanted John then they would have brought John back," I stated. "John Winchester was not the world's best hunter. John Winchester was the hunter you heard of in stories but you never met him. Dean Winchester is the hunter you can call for help and be damned sure he'll be there," I said, shaking my head. "You can't say that about a lot of hunters." Dean sniffed loudly and looked away from me, several more tears leaking down as he blinked. I brought my hand back to his cheeks and moved his head back to look at me. "Out of all the hunters they could have picked to help them they chose you because they knew if anyone was going to stop the apocalypse it would be you." Dean shook his head the best he could as he swallowed hard. "You can't believe that," he stated. I nodded. "You bet I do," I told him, smiling a bit. "And do you know why?" He shook his head again. "Because if anyone is stubborn enough to keep the world from ending it would be you, Winchester." Dean watched me as I kept a steady gaze with him before he seemed to choke and lean his head back against the wall causing my hands to drop to his neck. "I'm scared, Mia," he admitted, his voice breaking. "I've got all this weight riding on my shoulders and I feel like I'm going to be crushed by it." I gave him a soft smile. "You can't carry the world upon your shoulders, Dean," she told him. "You know you can give us some of that weight, right?" "Mia, I can't-" "Yes you can and do you know why?" I asked, starting to sound a little frustrated. He shook his head slowly. "Because you saved my life and helping you through a few nightmares if the least I could do." A frown pulled at his lips. "Is that the….the only reason?" he asked. I rolled my eyes and gave him an easy smile. "No, it's not the only reason but I was sparing you a chick flick moment," I told him before leaning forward to press a kiss to his forehead. "Do you think you can go back to sleep?" I asked, pulling away from him. He swallowed hard before nodding his head slowly. "Yeah, uh, I'll be there in a minute," he answered, giving me an uneasy smile. "Okay," I agreed before getting up and slipping out of the bathroom and padding back to the bed. I grabbed up the comforter and returned it to the bed before fluffing the pillows and settling down. A few minutes later Dean retreated from the bathroom and made his way over to the opposite bed. He pulled the comforter back and slid in, rolling onto his side to give me a small smile in the darkness from across the room. "Thanks, Mia," He whispered. "You're welcome, Dean," I whispered back before I buried my face into my pillow, Hey Jude humming brokenly in the back of my throat as I slowly started to slip away. *Dean's POV* It couldn't have been any earlier than six-thirty, when I was woken up by the sound of feet making their way to the bathroom. I didn't open my eyes, we didn't need to leave for another hour, and I was determined to get at least another forty minutes of sleep; well that had been the plan anyway. It seemed that whichever one of my little brothers or possibly Mia was awake was determined to keep me awake as well. Opening one eye I glared at whoever it was that was gently tugging on my shirt to try and get my attention. However it wasn't one of my brothers or Mia that I was staring at; Instead I found myself fact to face with a little girl, she couldn't have been any older than two or three. The kid was just staring back at me, with her gorgeous face and bright blue eyes. It wasn't until I noticed what the kid was wearing that I started to realize who the little girl standing in front of me was. She was the perfect replica of what the old Mia, age sixteen year old, looked like. She had soft curls of chocolate brown hair, with a big pouting lip and pale blue puppy dog eyes. "De," The little girl, who I now knew was Mia, pipped up sounding a little bit annoyed. "Mia," I croaked, after what seemed like an eternity. What the hell had happened? "Ups." Mia stated lifting her arms over her head, clearly wanting me to lift her into my arms. I couldn't exactly deny the needs of a two year old, especially when that two year old was my friend, my baby (literally) sister, and in one smooth motion I was out of the bed with Mia rested on my hip; I needed to wake up Sam and Adam, they had to figure this all out before something bad happened. "Sbmmys and Aggie sweep," Mia said, seeming to be thinking along the same lines as me. "De, wkes thms up?" The toddler questioned cocking her head to the side. "Yeah Sweetheart, we'll wake him up." "Sammy, Addie," I all but yelled, roughly shaking Sam and walking over to Adam's bed and shaking him awake. "Sam, Adam, come on we have a bit of a situation here." "What? Dean is that a kid? Oh my god what the hell! Dean I can't-" Sam blinked, his eyes wide and staring accusingly at me. Adam blinked and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and glared at me, once he realized that I had a baby Mia in my hands. "Dean what are you... Dean is that a, Dean you can't just go taking a kid of the street, who the hell are you, I can't believe you just took a kid off the street and took her in and brought her here. Oh god her parents must be so worried. Dean, we should-" Adam screeched jumping out of his bed, I would of laughed had the situation not been so serious. "Sammy, Adam, relax, I didn't kidnap some poor defenseless little child... its Mia." "What?" Sam questioned, looking at me as if I was crazy. Maybe we needed to take some time off I thought, I have been very stressed lately and it looked as if I had finally lost my mind, the poor kid in my arms looked so scared. "De," The little girl wailed, her big crystal blue eyes filling up with tears. "Aggie wooks sad! Kan I give him kwiss? Kwisses makes everything's awl better!" She exclaimed, staring at me and then Adam. I blink, then smile of what I hope is a comforting smile. "Sure, sweetheart." She clapped happily. I walk over to Adam's bed and sit down next to him. Adam blinks and stares at Mia. "Moves too's Aggie De!" She says, reaching up and poking my nose. I smile gently to her and scooted closer to Adam. Mia blinked once and gave Adam a kiss on the cheek. "Woves you Auggie!" She said, smiling happily. "Love you too." Adam blinked again, staring at Mia. "What are we going to do? I mean we don't have any clothes for her or even a car seat, we don't know if she is allergic to anything, hell we don't even know how old she is." "Mia, sweetheart, how old are you now?" I asked her with a forced smile. "I'ms, almost three silly," Mia crossly responded, obviously thinking that her big brother had forgotten her age. The truth was I was scared out of my mind, and I knew Sam and Adam were as well. Mia was too young, too fragile, and as much as I didn't want to admit it I didn't know how long it would take before Mia was able to turn back to her normal age. I knew that it was going to take a hell of a lot more than Mia being de-aged for things to go back to the way they were. "We should call Bobby," Sam said after a few moments of silence, "See if we can stay there until we sort everything out." I nodded briefly in agreement before responding, "It's still a two day drive to Bobby's though, where going to need to go shopping." Adam shuddered in response to my words, shopping how he hated that word. He knew they had no choice however, Mia was going to need clothes and a car seat, and... Shit we didn't even know if the kid was toilet trained. "How about I go get us some breakfast and you give Mia a bath and then we can go to Target or something." I said, ignoring the fact that Sam was shaking his head at me in response to my words. "How about I get breakfast and you give Mia a bath?" Sam responded. There was no way in hell he wanted to be the one to give Mia a bath, but giving my 'baby sister' a bath- that was just something he was not comfortable with. "I don't think so Sammy, I'm the oldest, what I say goes." "But-" "Mind your own business Sammy." I replied, before grabbing the keys to the Impala and walking out the door before Sam had the chance to argue any further. *Sam's POV* "Where's De's gone Smmy?" Mia's tiny voice questioned, her hand pulling at my leg. "He's just gone to get breakfast honey," Adam responded with a smile (because how could you not smile at that face) bending down to pick Mia up, off of the floor. "Why didn't we goes wif him?" Mia questioned with childlike curiosity. "Because honey, you need a bath." "No, I don't." Mia stated crossing her little arms over her chest stubbornly. "Oh, I think you do." I responded in mock seriousness, before beginning to tickle Mia, causing the toddler to erupt in a fit of giggles. Getting Mia into the bathroom had been far too easy, I would have been able to do it with my eyes closed. It was the putting Mia into the bath bit that I was dreading. For not the first time in ten minutes I mentally cursed Dean, of course Dean would make me do the hard stuff. Sighing deeply I placed Mia on the floor, silently telling myself that it wasn't that big of a deal, this was no different than helping Mia get dressed and washed when she was injured. Sighing once again, I kneeled down next to Mia. "Come on honey, arms up." Mia immediately obeyed my orders. I had Mia in the bath in no time; it hadn't been as difficult as I had thought it would be, washing Mia however, that was very difficult. The toddler seemed to think that if she had to get wet than so did I, splashing me at every opportunity she got. "Smmy all wet," Mia proudly stated, before bursting into another fit of giggles. "Smmy all wet, and Mimi all wet." I had to bite my lip to stop myself from laughing, Mimi; I would definitely use that to my advantage. I had got Sammy my whole life it was only right that Mia got a nickname to. I was about to respond to the toddler when I heard the door opining followed by Dean's voice, "Sammy?" "We'll be out in a second Dean," I yelled back before turning to Mia. "Come on sweetheart, let's get some breakfast." Mia giggled and smiled. "I hads a dream." Mia softly said. "Were you happy in that dream?" "Yep... ands I was a big girl likes you, Auggie and De." "It was just a dream honey," I replied, before lifting Mia out of the bath. "De, Auggie, De, Auggie," Mia squealed upon seeing Adam and Dean, lifting out his arms for Adam to take him. "Hey sweetheart," Adam said a small smile gracing his face, and in once quick motion, Adam took Mia from me and held her in his arms. Mia snuggled into his neck and smiled. "Here Mia, I got you some pancakes, why don't you go eat them, while I talk to Sammy ok." Dean said. She smiled at Dean and Adam moved over to the table. "I called Bobby." Dean stated once Mia was out of earshot. "What did he say?" "That there was no way to fix it, without Cas' or Samandriel's help, he also said we were welcome to use his house, until we sort this out, but he's on a hunt so he won't be there." "What do you think we should do?" "We'll go shopping now," Dean replied, visibly shuddering at the mention of shopping, "then will drive to Bobby's." "That's it! That's your master plan." I replied frustrated. "Well, if you have any better suggestions I'd love to hear it." Dean spat back trying very hard to keep his voice low. I sighed, not really wanting to fight with Dean when we were in this situation. "Your right, we'll just sort everything out when we get to Bobby's." The car ride to the closest Target was long and tense, the only noise coming from the babbling toddler in the backseat. Mia didn't seem to notice that we weren't exactly speaking to one another; she just continued to chat away with Adam and gave him constant kisses, which seemed to keep her happy. Adam still looked freaked out about the whole thing, but he kept talking with her and giving her kisses on her head. We pulled up to target and got out of the car. "Foots hurt!" Mia wailed after a while. "Foots hurts badly." She continued to wail. "Mia, please be quiet." Adam cooed, "Or no kisses." Mia was silent immediately bottom lip sticking out and stubbornly refusing to let her tears fall. Her silence soon turned into loud wailing again, however when we were walking in the shops Dean placed her in the little seat, in the closest shopping cart they could find. "No. De, up." She wailed, her little arms lifting up above her head, clearly wanting to be back in Dean's arm. "Mia, you're a big girl now, so you get to sit in a big girl seat." Dean tried coaxingly hoping it would work as well on Mia as it had for our dad when he tried it on Adam and me. "I no wants to be a big girl." Mia stated, her arms crossing over her chest crossly, "I wants you to carry me's." "I'll carry you Mia." Adam spoke up. Mia smiled and her eyes shown. "Really?" She asked. "Really." He smiled. "Yay!" She laughed and giggled happily. "Ups." She lifted her arms. Adam lifted her up and she once again buried her face in his neck. We went over to the clothes section first grabbing Mia a few pairs of jeans and shorts and two weeks worth's of t-shirts that Mia had picked out along with a few other necessities that she would need. Next up it was shoes and Dean insisted that Mia get a pair of black boots almost identical to her own. She nodded happily and Dean looked pleased. We were in and out of the baby section as quick as was humanly possible, quickly grabbing a car seat, multiple Sippy cups (because hey, they were on special) and when Dean had made sure Mia wasn't looking a couple packs of pull ups. All in all we were quite proud of ourselves when we made it to the checkout in no more than two hours, Mia clutching her new white bunny rabbit tightly, Dean, Adam and I had both tried to convince her to get the new Barbie toy, but the toddler had stubbornly refused to part with the bunny once she had found it. "Well aren't you just a cutie," The woman behind the register cooed at Mia, causing the toddler to hide behind her long brown locks of hair and she smiled shyly. "Are you having fun shopping with you daddies and their friend?" Mia had said "yep. I love them so mush!" before either one of us had recovered from our shock. "Can you believe, Dean, she thought, Dean she thought we were gay." I stuttered once we were out of the shop. Dean didn't answer me; he just opened his mouth looking as if he wanted to say something before deciding not to and shutting his mouth once again before repeating the process. Dean snapped out of his shock pretty quickly when he noticed a pretty girl who had dropped the bags she was holding. "Sammy, duty calls." Dean said, handing Mia over to me before making his way over to the girl. Adam went to get some hot chocolate from a little store across the street. I wasn't sure how it had happened. One second Mia had been in my arms, then with a startled "Auggie" Mia was on the floor running as fast as her little legs could carry her, following Adam into the crowd of shoppers. It has all happened very quickly, Adam had only just managed to see Mia in time. To see her get knocked over by an unaware pedestrian, into the middle of the road and into the way of an oncoming vehicle, he had only just managed to catch her in time, almost pulling the kids arms out of their sockets as he yanked her away from the road, pulling the trembling and wailing toddler into his arms. He didn't plan on putting Mia down anytime soon. We needed to change her back, now. Adam held onto Mia's screaming form tightly refusing to let go of even an inch of the girl's body; she was still shaking. That had been too close, way too close. "Dean, is she ok?" Adam's voice questioned from behind, the nervousness evident in his tone. "Does she look alright to you?" Dean snapped, blaming me entirely for the events that had just unfolded, and trust me, I blame myself entirely too. I almost gotten her killed. "There's a chemist over there, can you just get some baby panadol?" "You want to drug her?" I questioned my guilt forgotten and replaced by outrage, maybe my brother was in shock. If the situation weren't so dire Dean would have rolled his eyes at me, had I forgotten that he had basically raised me, he did know what he was doing. "If she doesn't calm down soon, she is going to get herself sick. If you have any better ideas I'd love to hear them." I simply nodded my head in response to Dean's words before making my way to the chemist. It took me ten minutes to the car, ten very long minutes, in which the screaming toddler had refused to calm down, screaming louder and louder with every word Dean had said to her. "Mia, sweetheart, I need you to take this medicine like a big girl ok?" Adam coaxingly said. Mia's only response was to scream louder. "I know your scared honey, but I need you to do this for me. I promise it will make you feel better." "P-promise?" the little girl hiccuped, her blue eyes filled with uncertainty. "I promise." It had taken only minutes for the drugs and exhaustion to kick in, and Mia was now safely and peacefully asleep in her new car seat, completed with Adam's hand wrapped around on her tiny hand, and finally we were on our way to Bobbie's. The atmosphere in the Impala was tense and quiet; not a sound coming from the usually blaring radio, it had been a little over an hour since either of us had spoken, we were both to consumed in our own guilt. "Adam, I shouldn't have snapped at you." Dean said quietly praying that he would simply accept his apology. Of course, that wasn't the Winchester way. "I deserved it. I should have been paying more attention to her, then—" "And I shouldn't have walked off." Dean said, his voice barely above a whisper, his usually masked face shown with tears. "I promise I'm going to make this right Addie, you too, Sammy, I'll do whatever I have to, to get her right again." "I know you will." I replied, knowing that Dean had meant every word he had said. We arrived at Bobbies in the late hours of the morning. Mia had awoken as soon as the car had stopped running; it had only taken moments for her to begin screaming again. "Mia, sweetheart it's alright," I desperately tried, rocking the toddler back and forth in my arms in a desperate attempt to try and get him to fall asleep. "Wants De." The toddler loudly sobbed. I tried not to be jealous at the thought that even though I was the one that had spent the whole day looking after Mia, it was sill Dean the girl wanted; we had much more important issues to be concerned with. Dean didn't need to be told twice, within a second he was at my taking the sobbing toddler out of my arms. "Bad dreams about Daddy, De. He hurts Auggie and Sbmmy and De's really bad, fells down on floor, hold my hand tightly. Couldn't get up. Then fwames. Hurting everywhere. Was big girl. Couldn't stop crwying. Saw yellow eye man with mommy. Mommy disappeared and screamed. Scared. Cutted my arms a lot with sharp object. Liked the way I did. Felt good, felt...good. Better. Happy." Adam bit his lip, and his eyes shown with tears, looked out the window, and said nothing. Dean blinked, bit his lip, and looked away. I bite my lip, determined not to cry. I have different, but still very powerful, sad emotions coursing though me. It feels like the world stopped, someone pulled the cord to a plug too quickly, or you've been sitting too long without blinking so your vision gets blurry, your so quiet you can hear the blood in you veins pumping, your thoughts loud and clear as a bell, the soft flutter of an insects wings in the summer or the sound of soft snow hitting the ground in the winter, or the small breaths of a child, the soft rustle of wind in the air. I see pain, regret, sorrow, a hint of anger, and utter brokenness in her eyes, something a three year old girl should not have. A three year old girl should be happy, carefree and innocent. She, the real Mia, age sixteen, was innocent. Normal. Safe. She didn't hunt, had no idea about the things that go bump in the night, what really goes on out there after hours when everyone's asleep in their beds, all safe and warm, unaware. She didn't deserve this life, to almost die twice, be a vessel to a white eyes demon, then get attacked by the King of Hell himself, Crowley. She doesn't deserve any of it. Now she's a three year old girl, and god knows why. "De," Mia had stopped crying now, but her voice still held a slight shiver, "will you ans Sbmmy's ans Auggie's reads me a stowie?" One story and a very cute sleeping toddler later, and I knew one thing for sure; Mia needed to be changed back and now. Yesterday had been too risky, what would happen when the demons and monsters found out about Mia? We simply couldn't risk it. "What do you think we should do?" Adam asked, keeping a protective eye Mia. We were all exhausted and sore from the constant running around. "I'm not sure." I mutter, rubbing my hand into my face tiredly. "Maybe we could call Cas and Samandriel?" "Okay." Adam agreed tiredly. We prayed, but something blocked us the last time. "Lets try it now." "Sounds good." My brothers exclaim at the same time. "Dear Castiel and Samandriel. Thou art in heaven..." Dean begins. I turned and found Samandriel and Castiel standing there. Wow. Their fast. "Cas, what the hell?" "Why did you do that?" Dean demanded. "We had to turn Mia into an toddler." "Why?" We all exclaim at the same time. "We cannot allow Mia to fall into Alastair's hands again. It is too risky." We flinch. We almost handed Lilith her vessel. Her true vessel. That could've been so freaking bad. I don't even want to think about it. I shiver. Adam winces again and he buries his face in his hands. "But why turn her into a baby?" Adam asked after a few minutes of silent tension. "It is a major necessity, an extra percussion. The demons cannot sense babies unless they deplete their powers almost fully and set on the task of finding the child, but as a teenager, they can find her easily without concentrating. It can weaken them greatly they fall into horrible comas for a number of years." Cas says. I blink. "That makes sense." Dean's face scrunches up in confusion. "I don't..." "Never mind," I cut in, slightly annoyed. "Can you fix her?" Samandriel nods. "She will be human, her regular age, tomorrow morning." And with that, our two angels are gone. We enjoyed our last day with little Mia, doing the things that all three of us had been neglected of in our own childhoods. We played around, ate a lot of food, (Dean had his pie, of course.) We had a massive water balloon fight (which Dean of course won) and spent the night reading Mimi whatever story she requested. "Loves you Smmy," the toddler sleepily said. She placed a childlike kiss on my cheek, then turning to Dean he did the same saying, "Loves you De. Loves you Auggie." Mia hugged Adam tightly and kissed Adam's lips lightly. Adam held her tighter. "Love you too Mia," We whispered together, neither as used to the verbal display of emotion. We were going to miss toddler Mia. Mia is still completely innocent, but it was Mia who we all wanted, and god the teasing was going to be fun. *Mia's POV* I rolled over to find Adam laying next to me. "Morning babe." I smile. I give him kiss on the nose before rolling over...To find Dean? And Sam? What the hell? I jump up, trying not to scream. A loud strangled yelp escapes me. I growl at them. "Argh! Dean! Sammy! What the hell are you doing in my bed!?" Sam, Adam and Dean smile widely. "Morning Mia." My three friends say, smiling. "GET. THE. HELL. OUT!" "Sorry, sorry." They mutter, chuckling a bit, getting up. "Tell the freaking angels not too mess with my dreams again." Sam blinks. "They messed with tour dreams?" I nodded. Adam wraps an arm around me, and Dean sits back on the bed. "Mia..." Dean begins awkwardly. My smile fades. I can hear the awkwardness, the firmness, the hesitation and the 'no-room-for-argument' in his voice. "Yes?" I ask. "Why do you self harm?" It's a whisper. My eyes widen. "Wh-What? Who told you that?" How did they know I self harm? I blink, my breath coming out in short breaths. "When you were possessed by that demon..." That's all Sam needs to say. I start shaking. It feels like I can't control my body. I get up, glare at my friends and scream. I scram until my throat is raw. Scream until there's a burning sensation and tears streaming down my face. I can't stop screaming. After a while, I stop screaming and sigh, totally spent. "Mia..." "You want to know why I cut?" I ask coldly. My friends don't speak. "It's a relief." My friends heads snap up. That wasn't the answer they were expecting. "Relief? What does that mean?" Of course. They would never understand these cutting terms. "You know, like when you have something weighing on your mind, bothering you. You just want it all to disappear. Cutting helps with that. There aren't many options to get rid of stress for me. So that helps a lot." I explained. The boys were silent, taking in the information I just told them. "But doesn't it hurt?" Dean asked quietly. I shrug. "Well, a little at first. When you try, you'll be surprised at how painless it is when the blade slides across. When you first try, you'll realize the only thing that hurts is the nervousness inside you, because your worried about how much it will hurt. It stings more afterwards, but it's a good kind of stinging. Like a reminder of how you did something wrong in your life. Other times, I look at my scars and see something else: a girl who was trying to cope with something horrible that she should never have had to live through at all. My scars show pain and suffering, but they also show my will to survive. They're part of my history that'll always be there." I reply, looking down. I silently pray to Samandriel. I want to ask him something. "Yes Mia?" "Can you show them? My sheer hell of a childhood?" Samandriel looks uncomfortable. "Are you sure?" I nod firmly. He closes his eyes and we are back at my house. Bad memories flood though me. I take a deep breath, fighting back tears. I cant cry, not now. "You'll be able to hear her thoughts. You cannot interfere, no matter what you hear or see, you cannot interfere." Samandriel says. My friends take a shaky breath and they nod. Adam's hand grips mine and I give my friends a weak smile. Samandriel snaps his fingers. 'My life consists of this: Getting up, eating whatever food I can, before Dad wakes up, getting hit by Dad, once he does get up, do my daily thousands of chores, continually get abused by Dad, trying not to cry, otherwise that'll result in more threats to kill me and more abuse, and finally fall asleep at the end of the day in another fury of nightmares. I hate life, I've told myself that thousands of times. Every time I do, I think... Mom wants me to live. Live life for Mom, not myself. Besides, when does my life matter? When has it ever? And of course, Dad has told me that I don't deserve to live, millions of times. He always tells me that, but he never does kill me. Just beating me with an inch of my life. He makes me suffer, as punishment for letting Mom and my unborn siblings die. I always tell myself that it's not my fault, but deep down, in the roots of my stomach, I can't help but feel that Mom and my unborn brother's and sister's deaths are my fault. Because of that small voice in me, telling me that constantly, I let myself suffer. It would be so easy to just kill myself, but that's too easy. I could've done that a long, long time ago. I cut. Cutting is a relief for me. "MIA!" Dad screamed my name, and it echoed though the house. I'm not sure if he's drunk. If he wasn't, I knew that it wouldn't change his angry mood. I walked up to Dad, obediently. He stood there, his fists balled, tapping his foot impatiently against the floor. The sight of him, with a beer bottle curled up in one hand, his hair matted and greasy, his face twisted up in rage and disgusted at the sight of me, wanted to make me flinch, but I didn't. If I did, that would result in abuse. As usual, I didn't say a word. "Not gonna speak, eh?" Dad's voice was slurring heavily, without a doubt, he was drunk. Either way, no matter what the consequences of his state, drunk or not, he'd hit me. He'd wake up next morning, not remember anything, abuse me, call me a million horrible names, a disgrace, a waste of space, a whore, a bitch, then go out and get drunk again and again and again. It's the same process, over and over again. The same thing, every day. He does it every day. I was right. He slapped me across my face, leaving that stinging sensation. It's usual, so it barely bothers me anymore. He grabs my hair and throws me to the ground, slapping my face once again. "You know what day it is?" Dad said, looking down at me, in his drunken tone. His fist balled up again, and I braced myself to get hit. I slowly nodded in reply, slowly getting up, wincing, then looking at the floor. Slapping me once, he forcefully grabbed my head, so I was facing him, eye to eye. I gulped, hoping he wouldn't see the fear in my eyes. "You, the miserable slut, is sixteen today," Dad answered grinning, his hot breath sending shivers of disgust, dread, nervousness and fear down my back. "Happy birthday, you fucking retarded whore! And, technically, in my mind, you're an adult. Therefore, I don't need to take care of you! I don't have to look at your ugly face, you miserable, fucked up, god damn slut!" I was about to cry, but held it in, because I didn't want to be hit. I stood there, unable to figure out what to do. My dad glared daggers at me and hit me across the face, two times, sharp and powerful blows. I felt my face burn, as if someone placed a blowtorch in front of my face. "Get out!" My dad yelled. I cowered back. I put my two hands together, and lifted them up in front of my face, to show I was begging him to let me stay. He hit me again, glaring at me with hate filled eyes. They used to be full of life... "GET OUT!" Dad screamed. I quickly ran out, and I heard my dad laughing manically at me. I heard him cough, once, twice, then i heard the bottle tip, and the liquor rushing out of the glass bottle, streaming out in a thick gust, like it was glad to be free. I watched him take a drink, one long sip, until it was empty. He stared at it, like he couldn't believe that it was empty. He frowned, and yelled: "FUCK YOU! I WANT MY GOD DAMNED BEER, YOU WORTHLESS WHORE! YOU NEED TO DIE, BITCH!" To the open air, like there was actually a person there. He muttered and growled at the imaginary figure standing in front of him, then he threw the bottle across the room, where it hit the wall with a loud crash, and the pieces flew down and all over, broken and shattered glass hitting the ground, like heavy rain. Muttering over the loss of his bottle, which now was left all over the floor, broken, useless, and a waste of space, He took another canteen of alcohol out of his pocket, and began to drink. He coughed again. He began to turn around. Quickly turning away so he wouldn't see me, I ran and didn't look back once. I started to wander the streets aimlessly. I felt scared and confused. How could he kick me out like that? Oh god, How will I live? I-I'm so scared. I felt like I didn't have any reason to live anymore. I loved Mom and my unborn brother and my unborn sister, but dealing with this is too much. I would much rather die than suffer anymore. I hope Mom will understand. After about an hour, I collapsed in a dark alley and began to cry. I wanted to live, for Mom, but I can't. What if she'll be angry with me? I begin to cry more. I kept thinking of how easy it would be to kill myself and how all my problems would be solved, everything will be better if I'm gone, ending the pain, the abuse, the worry, but for some reason I am scared. Well, I always have been scared, of everything, even my own reflection. To see my hollow cheeks, my glassy eyes, my scars, everything. I always, always see myself weak. Broken. Pathetic. I had thought of killing myself multiple times, so why am I so sad now? I felt faint-headed, so I put my head in my lap and pushed my knees against my chest, making myself as small as possible. I wish I could just fade, just die, and my pain would end. I started crying more, silently. I never cried with noise, dad would've beaten me if I did.' Samandriel snaps his fingers and we're back at Bobby's. "Thank you. Samandriel. You may leave now." I swallow thickly. My voice is small and broken. Samandriel nods and disappears. My friends stare at me. I don't say anything and turn away. "Now you know what I've been though..why I put on an act of happiness." "Mia-" Dean tries to say. "No." I say immediately, my voice gravelly and weak. "No. Don't pity me. I don't deserve it." "We want to help." Sam says, a pleading edge and sadness in his voice. "No." I growl. "I don't deserve to be saved. It's too late now. I'm sorry." I let a tear slip down my face. I haven't cried in forever, it seems like. I completely shut down on the topic. Adam moves over to me and plants a small kiss on my lips, comforting me. I smile. Winston-Salem, NC "I hate this house," Annette said, leaning against the door to the old study. "You know that, right?" "Yes, honey." Ted smiled back. "You've only told me ten times this week. But Alex would have wanted us to finish what he started. Besides, as soon as we finish the renovation, we can sell it and move anywhere you want." Annette scoffed. "Like anyone would in their right mind would buy this monstrosity." The century-old Victorian mansion was three stories high—five, counting the attic and basement—with more rooms, halls, stairs, a mix of old school and modern lights and closets than Annette had ever seen crammed into one place. Beautiful vintage 1890s stonework graced the outside, with actual Victorian-era bedposts creatively converted into railings and fences. Tall, copper-roofed turrets at the corners of the structure housed the bedroom, and honest-to-God gargoyles stood watch atop the thick oak doors. It was more like a castle than a house, built by some obscure Hungarian architect. Inside, ornate wood paneling graced every room, making it look both warm and daunting at the same time. Keeping it clean was a nightmare, and Annette figured the original owners must have had servants. It had taken them weeks to find their way around, the multitude of halls and rooms, closets and crawlspaces making it a veritable labyrinth. It was the last kind of house she had expected to find in North Carolina, tucked away in a thick tree grove in the suburbs, hidden away from most prying eyes. 'Maybe no one had ever found it to tear it down and sell the pieces for scraps,' she thought sourly. Her late husband Alex had bought the house expressly for the purpose of fixing it up and flipping it. They spent most of their savings in the process...and then the economy tanked, and their prospects of even finishing the project, let alone making any money off it, seemed remote. She could have lived with that, except the damned house had cost her husband his life. Once the market sank, Alex had laid off the crew he'd had helping him, choosing to soldier on alone. "I'll do one room at a time, if I have to," he'd said. But as he worked, he'd become more and more obsessed. He'd spent hours in the basement, knocking out walls, cutting and tinkering with the wiring and replacing the floor. Sometimes his choices didn't seem to make sense, but he assured her they would eventually. Finally, one night, she'd come into the very study she stood in now to let him know dinner was ready, only to find him hanging from the exposed rafters. The police wrote the whole thing off as a suicide, but Annette still wasn't sure. There was something about the house, something that made her nervous…scared her. Ted had come down from New York after that, leaving his carpet cleaning business in receivership to finish his brother's work and help Annette raise her son, Ian. Things had been better for a while, and with Ted's help and her salary from that deferred bonus, she'd somehow made ends meet and kept Ian enrolled at his expensive day care service so he wouldn't lose his place on the list. But then the noises started. Ted had resumed the renovation work, starting where Alex had left off, and a few days later, they were woken by horrendous sounds from that part of the house. Annette had heard stories about haunted houses, but she'd never really believed until it was happening in hers. What was worse, the disturbances seemed centered around the old study where Alex had hanged himself. The police came, searching the grounds, but found nothing. Annette had a friend on the force who'd been willing to place a cruiser outside for a few nights if it came to that, but in the end, the authorities had no answers. "Alex bought it," Ted murmured. Annette blinked, torn from her reverie. "What?" "Alex," Ted repeated, looking up from where he was measuring a two-by-four and making some notes that Annette couldn't quite make out. "He bought this place. If he was interested, others will be, too. Might take some hard work, but we can do it." She smiled. "I wish I shared your optimism." "I can be optimistic for both of us." "Oh, so corny. The schmaltz police are probably on their way." "I try." Ted grinned before turning back to the wooden beam he was working on. Annette sighed. "I think I'll go for a walk. Come to think of it, that's one nice thing about this place. It's so big, you can get all your exercise indoors." "That's the spirit, honey!" Ted called as she moved out into the hall. The long, oak-paneled hallways were dark, even in daytime, so Annette had taken to keeping the lights on all the time. There were so many twists and turns that simply opening curtains wasn't enough. The first floor was more or less finished, Alex having completed most of it before he died. On the second floor, only two of the high-ceilinged bedrooms—in the turrets closest to the front of the house—were done, the rest of the sprawling space remaining in various stages of renovation. The third floor was by far the biggest challenge. More guest rooms, an old library that had been sealed and walled-up at some point, and a sunroom waited up there. Most of the glass in the sun room was cracked, and would need replacing, and the wiring was shot. Annette sighed, heading down the winding east stairs to the first floor. It was a lot of work, and without a crew, would take them a very long time to finish. She reached the bottom of the stairwell and entered the large, well-adorned den. Ted didn't need her help with the heavy woodwork, so she decided to watch some television. It was cool outside, so they were making regular use of the house's huge fireplace. The fire crackled loudly as Annette settled onto the sofa and started flipping channels. She stopped on Headline News, but started to feel cold. Standing, Annette moved to place another log on the fire, but halfway to the hearth, the air temperature in the room seemed to plummet. The image in the TV screen began to break up, the sound first becoming garbled and then silent as the signal completely stopped and the screen went blue. Without warning, a ball of fire erupted from the fireplace, smoke and cinders blasting out into the room. Annette yelped and stumbled back toward the sofa. Then she gasped. In the flames and smoke, something took shape. It wasn't solid, but it seemed to be taking the form of a man. The apparition stepped toward her, extending a translucent arm in her direction. "Soon…." The deep, unearthly voice came from everywhere, echoing in her head. Annette screamed and scrambled out of the room. "Ted! Ted!" She lost sight of the intruder as she bolted up the stairs. *Two Days Later, High Point, NC. Mia's POV* The room was too bright. I grimaced and turned my face into the pillow, trying to keep the light away. I slowly became aware of my throbbing head. The light wasn't helping it at all. Neither was the click-clack sound of fingers on a keyboard. That was too loud. Ignoring it was an option, and I tried my best, but the sound continued, stopping and starting, stopping and starting, and every click and clack echoed through my skull like a drummer laying into cymbals. I tried, clumsily, to pull the pillow over my head, but either my arms weren't cooperating or the pillow was fighting back. God's honest truth was, I couldn't be sure which. The maddening click-clack click-clack paused—once, twice, a third time, longer that time—and I wondered hopefully if it was gone, but then it returned. "Arggghhh." I rolled onto my back and forced my eyes open, careful to keep one hand between them and the window. I raised my pulsating head to seek out the offensive noise. Adam sat at the motel room's small table, a mug in one hand, a pen in the other, and the laptop open. "Morning babe." The youngest brother glanced over at me, a smirk teasing the edge of his mouth. He wisely controlled his facial muscles, opting for a more innocent expression. "Morning babe." He repeated back to me. He got up and have me a kiss on the lips, which smelled of mint hot chocolate. He sat back down and sighed, looking at me before looking at the computer. "Not that there's any good reason to be awake at—" I glanced at the clock between the beds. "Nine-thirty? Seriously, that'd better be a hunt!" He nodded. "Just looking for a hunt. Deany-Beany told me to pick one." I looked at him for a moment, and I suppressed a decidedly vulgar remark and rubbed my eyes. It was still too bright in here. "Don't remind me. You couldn't sleep?" Adam's face tightened for a moment before he forced a shrug. "Didn't really want to." "Nightmare again?" Another shrug. "Want to talk about it?" "Not—not particularly, no," Adam replied, not unkindly. "Was it about demons?" He didn't reply. "It was, wasn't it?" He nodded, and blinked a tear out of his eye. "Adam, no matter what, your a hunter. Nothing will hurt you, okay? I will make sure nothing gets to you." I reply. He nodded, but stayed silent. "Was it about me getting killed by those demonic assholes?" He nodded again. "You were the worst." He whispered. "Why?" I asked softly. "Well, it was my friends, my family, then it was my dad, then my mom," his voice broke on that word. "Then Dean, then Sammy, then you." He paused to swallow. "Oh god Mia, you three were the worst...You guys were bleeding everywhere...And they..." He took a shaky breath. "They made me watch." He sobs. "Oh, Adam, it's not real." I whisper, getting up out of the bed and walking over to the table. "Hey, look at me. Look at me." I begged. He looks up, his eyes shown with tears. "Nothing's gonna happen...Okay? It was just a dream, and it's not real." I say, wrapping my arms in an X around his chest. Walking around him, I lift his head, so we're facing eye to eye. I wipe a stray tear away that slides down his cheek. He smiles, but it goes away as soon as his lips pulled up in the smile. I lifted his chin and smashes my lips against his, his lips tasting like minty hot chocolate and whipped cream. His hands lifted up to my face, deepening the kiss. I smile, running my hands through his soft hair. "Would you two please shut up?" Sam's groggy voice rang out from beneath an undulating mass of pillows, clothes, white sheets, and flowery comforter on the other bed. A disheveled mop of (finally short, after Adam and I began nagging about how long it was) hair popped out near the foot of the bed, revealing one glaring, puppy-dog brown eye. Dean yawned, blinked, stretched and grinned, hit his brother once from his spot on the floor, then grabbed his drool-damp pillow. Oh crap. It smacked his brother right in the face, producing a satisfying "oof," and a very offensive, mumbled retort. I tried not to laugh and Adam chuckled heavily. "Rise and shine, Sammy." Dean smiled, laughing. "Ugh…I hate you all," Sam grumbled as he displayed a serious lack of coordination while trying to extricate himself from the pile of bedsheets. "No, you love us and you know it." I smiled. "You two are really pissy when you're hungover," Adam observed quietly, clicking something on the laptop and jotting down a note in the journal Dean had picked out for him. "Sammy's the only pissy one. He can't hold his liquor down in his stomach." Sam's mumbled retort was decidedly immature. Dean grinned; it was nice to know he could still bring out the "adult" in us, his kid brother and sister. He turned back to Adam. "Racing down Main Street with that Mustang was pretty cool, though." Adam eyed him for a moment. "That was a dream." Dean frowned. "No, we raced. I remember." "Trust me, I was driving last night, we didn't race anybody." He said. "It was only a dream?" Dean asked. He was beginning to question all of his recollections from the night before. Adam just nodded, which made Dean frown deeper. I laughed. "How do you know what I was dreaming? Sam's the psychic one." "You were talking in your sleep." I said, rubbing my eyes. Dean blinked. "Oh. Um…and I suppose that me bringing that dancer from the Tiki Club back here was only a dream, too?" "Or a hallucination," Sam added helpfully. I chuckle. That place was very...interesting. "You'd better hope it was one of those," Adam admonished, grimacing. "That place was nasty." I winced and nodded. I'm scarred for life. Dean shrugged. "Eh, I've done worse." "Seen worse," Adam corrected absently, scribbling some more. "No, he means done," Sam countered. "I'm scarred for life, thanks to you." I wince. "No problem." Dean smirks. "I know what you mean about weird dreams, though, Dean." Sam said. "I dreamt we were in the car, and we kept passing this gigantic set of dresser drawers over and over." "No, that was real," Adam replied, turning away from the laptop. He gestured at Sam. "Stanford over here couldn't read the map, so we circled the hotel about five times. That dresser is a few streets over from us. It's some kind of local landmark. This is a furniture town." Sam was frowning now, looking skeptical. "It had a giant pair of socks hanging out of it…" Adam and I nodded. "Yeah…it's a little creepy, if you ask me." Me and Adam explained at the same time. "Why did you let Sam read the map, anyway?" Dean asked. "He was wasted." "Because you were already passed out in the backseat." Adam sneered lightly. "And I don't think it's a good idea for the designated driver to have his head buried in a map while he's trying to drive in the middle of the night, especially when he's flat out smashed. Mia was making sure you didn't vomit or anything on the upholstery. You would have been so pissed." "Oh." Dean scratched behind his ear. The previous evening really was a blur for both of them, I can tell. "Yeah, well, it was all worth it." Dean glanced over as Sam groaned and pulled the comforter back over his head. He yawned and stretched his shoulders. They had more than enough reasons to drink, and they took every chance to do just that. The past few months had been hard. The Enochian protective sigils Castiel had burned into all our ribs was the only thing that kept us off the bigger bad guys' radar, me hidden from all demons as an extra percussion, in fear of being handed to Lilith, and we had to lay low to make sure nothing else noticed us. Sam and Dean were stressed because of the constant, more-than-usual- nightmares. They dreamt that I had killed myself in every possible way. Drowning, cutting a vein too deep, demonic possession, car crash, hung, engulfed in flames, killed at night, permeant damage to any vital organ/bone, (brain, spinal, muscular, etcetera) beat, whipped, food poisoning, I finally broke, (and at the end-of-my-rope kind of thing,) unable to get to me in time to see any kind of evil bitch/whore rip me to shreds, demon deal (that was a new one, it scared the crap out of me) killed by Crowley, and probably the worst one yet, saying yes to Lilith, which was worse than death. Yeah, they had more than enough reasons to drink. But we couldn't just lay low. Staying in one place was dangerous, and if we had to keep moving, the least we could do was help some people along the way. But there was a lot less wringing of hands and a lot more shoot-first-and-ask-questions-later. In some ways, I felt the change was good. Scary on occasion, but good. If we could find a low-risk, low-visibility hunt. We'd decided to let Adam handle searching for and choosing something that caught his eye. Subject to our approval, of course. The experience would be good for him. "So." Dean turned away from Sam—who seemed to be rethinking getting up and was burrowing deeper into his bed—and faced Adam who was draining his hot chocolate in a mug. I gave Adam a kiss on the lips. "Big day." "Yeah." Adam smiled nervously. I could see the excitement beneath the tired surface. Dean was probably remembering his first hunt, and knew he'd been the same way. "Find anything yet?" "Um, well maybe. I have a list." Adam held up a legal pad covered in scribbled notes. There appeared to be several pages of them. Dean raised his eyebrows, smirking. "Look at that. Sam's rubbing off on you." Sam muttered something from beneath the covers, which I couldn't decipher, but it sounded positive, so I left well enough alone. Dean looked back at his youngest sibling. "All right, you have choices. Let's hear 'em." "Okay." Adam glanced at the pad. "I shied away from anything that sounded like a possession or, you know, Biblical. Figured we don't need that kind of heat right now." Sam said something that sounded like "Good call." Dean ignored him. "Uh-huh." "So, I narrowed it down to hauntings and the like. We, uh, have one in a Manhattan police station, the 53rd Precinct. Report says the walls were bleeding." "That one could be a couple of things," Sam piped up, head suddenly above ground again. "Haunting, demon, poltergeist…." It made Dean antsy. "Eh…police station, security cameras, I dunno. Two of the four of us are legally dead, ex-fugitives. Last thing we need is some cop with an unsolved mysteries fetish running our faces. I'm gonna say no." Sam thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, that's a no. What else you got?" "Okay. Some city workers went missing in an underground sewer line in Baltimore. I thought it might be a shapeshifter, but a body showed up a few days later with a pretty big bite mark in it. I checked in Dad's journal, and if the marks are the same, I think it might be this…" He handed Dean the open book, pointing to a picture and its accompanying notation. Dean read it aloud. "A large and moving torb." "Ugh," Sam groaned. "What's a torb, anyway?" I asked. The journal's notes were sparse on the subject. Dean scowled. "Well, it's a—" He moved his hands in an attempt to say whatever he need to say. He gave up on that, then he looked at Sam, who was shaking his head in disgust. "Well, it's this big, round— It's hard to explain, but let's just say that it's easier to kill the unmoving kind." I raised my eyebrow. "Moving on." Sam motioned for Adam to continue. "Um, okay… Camp Waconda, New Jersey. A man was attacked by a bear." "What's so odd about that?" Dean asked, frowning. Adam looked up at him. "The bear was already dead. Shot six times, twice in the head, three in the chest, and one in the leg at point blank range by a hunting rifle." Dean glanced at Sam, then me. "Uh…" "No." "Why not?" I asked. Sam and Dean spoke at the same time. "We hate camping." Adam rolled his eyes and flipped the page. "All right. I see this is going to take a while…." "What was that?" "Nothing. Moving on." Finding Adam's first official hunt as a leader was going to be harder than I thought. Dean and Sam had vetoed all of Adam's first six potential choices. It wasn't all that unexpected, really. We wanted the job to be simple, uncomplicated. First day jitters could make some desk jockey's work stressful or embarrassing. On a hunt, we could get someone killed. That meant finding some relatively straightforward haunting or poltergeist, maybe a slow-moving, dimwitted monster that could be tracked down and blown away with shotguns in one day's work. For Sam's first hunt, it had taken weeks to find the perfect situation. But Sammy had been a lot younger than Adam, and they'd had the benefit of their dad's keen eye to choose for them. Adam was older, but virtually new to the whole hunting world— None of which was helped by the depressing fact that they all were on some form of Most Wanted list after the Apocalypse. Life just wasn't simple anymore. "Thank God breakfast still is," Dean murmured to himself. "What?" Sam asked, glancing over the edge of the newspaper he was reading. "Nothing." We were crammed into a tight booth in the back corner of a empty IHOP, waiting for our food to arrive. Whatever else could be said about a town that seemed to take pride in being the home of a singer named after a Disney movie, built giant, mildly creepy furniture monuments, and sported a hospital that looked like it came straight out of Star Trek…it had an IHOP. Dean couldn't disapprove of that. Adam was sitting across from Dean, eyes closed, arm wrapped around my shoulder, perched over another hot chocolate. His fifth of the day, from what Dean and I had counted. Adam was a little easier to fix, though, compared to Sam. He just needed a big brother to look out for him. Fortunately, he had two. "Hey! No sleeping!" Dean swatted at Adam's elbow lightly, jolting him awake. "There's a short stack coming with your name on it." Adam didn't keep his eyes open. "Fine. Wake me up when it gets here." His head dropped onto the table. "You know what your problem is?" Dean began sagely, winking when Sam glanced over at him. "You don't get enough exercise. No energy." Adam scoffed. "I get plenty of exercise. If I don't have any energy," he crooked his thumb in Sam's direction, "it's because this mama giraffe took me on a six-mile run yesterday afternoon, before you two decided to take all night emptying out every bar north, south, east and west of this town's main drag." Sam chuckled, not looking up from his newspaper. "And all on the eve of your first time leading hunt, too." Dean was glad Sam was playing along. "Was that this week? I completely forgot." Adam cracked one eye open and glared at him. "Is this your idea of hazing? 'Cause, you know, I can take it, but I'd just like to know what we're doing." "We don't haze people," Sam stated categorically, still perusing the headlines. "No, absolutely not. This isn't some fraternity." Sam's newspaper lowered again. "Well, technically…" "You guys suck." Adam closed his eyes again. I nodded, smirking in agreement. "But we don't haze," Dean confirmed happily. Sam looked contemplative. "You did take Castiel to a brothel once." "That was different." I looked up. "You took an angel to a brothel? What'd Samandriel say about that?" "It wasn't as bad as it sounds. And it looked like Samandriel either wanted to throw up or kill me. I think it was both." "That's not what Cas told me," Sam said quietly. I gaped at Sam. "What—?" Dean looked over at Sam. My mouth dropped open. "Wait. What did Cas tell you?" The waitress arrived before Sam could answer. She was short and plump, with black hair, but with just enough gray hair to suggest that she'd been in her job far too long, but she was nice and kept our hot chocolate/coffee mugs topped off without being asked. Dean intended to leave her a big tip. "Special with bacon for you." She lowered Dean's plate in front of him. "And three short stacks with chocolate chips and five extra sides of bacon." She arranged mine, Adam's and Sam's plates, then counted our mugs. "And coffee, coffee…coffee. Be right back with the pot." She filled my hot chocolate cup and put extra whipped cream on it, with a few melted chocolate chips to accompany it. "Thanks, Angie!" Dean grinned merrily as she moved away. "I like her. She's nice." Adam dug into his pancakes like he hadn't eaten in days. I laughed and kissed his lips. He smiled and kissed me back, ignoring the hoots from Sam and Dean. Sam had put the newspaper aside but, as often of late, was only picking at his food. Something else Dean, Adam and I would have to address sooner or later. Alcohol intake up, appetite down: that was a recipe for trouble. "You find anything in the paper?" I asked, watching Sam chew a rather large forkful of pancakes with obvious disinterest. He shook his head, his hair moving slightly. "Nothing. Maybe we can call Bobby. He's bound to have something we can look into." "Looks like my initiation will have to wait," Adam added, smirking around a mouthful of syrup and chocolate pancakes. He had Sam's taste in food, and Dean's table manners, which I thought was cute. "Don't give up so soon, kiddo," Dean chided. "Sometimes hunts just fall into your lap." Angie returned to fill our mugs, and Dean watched past her as two uniformed police officers entered the restaurant and settled at the table right across the aisle from us. Judging by their uniforms, one was a local High Point cop, the other an apparently off-duty Winston-Salem patrol officer. Winston-Salem was the next town over, if I remembered my maps of the state correctly. Dean surreptitiously eyed them, as he did all cops, and casually tuned in to listen for any sign of trouble. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sam and Adam doing the same thing from behind Dean and me. The officers, however, seemed interested in only food and some private gossip. "…so what are you going to do?" "I don't know, Patrick. Annette's convinced her house is haunted. We've been all over the lot and the house, and there's nothing there. No sign of forced entry." "But she's hearing noises?" "Screams, moans, scraping. Hell, it's a regular Halloween story, man." "You think it's a prank?" "I think she just misses her husband." "Is this that same old mansion…?" "Yeah, the one off Maplewood, near the hospital. Creepy place. I'm surprised it wasn't torn down years ago and turned into an apartment complex or a bar." "Heh, like there aren't enough of those around." The cops chatted until Angie swung by to take our orders. Dean looked at Sam, who was looking back with raised eyebrows. Me and Adam had tuned in, too. You have to admit, we were fast learners. "Fall into our laps, huh?" Adam asked quietly. Dean smiled. "Sometimes, it's just that easy." We finished eating, and headed out. Dean left a hefty tip for Angie before swiping at Sam's arm on the way out the door. "Seriously, dude, what did Cas tell you?" *Sam's POV* It's just a piece of scrap metal. It cant hurt you. I kept telling myself that, but it wasn't working. I was sitting in the passenger seat of the Impala, waiting for Dean to come back from buying his lottery ticket. I'd felt fine a moment ago…before the glint of sunlight from the ground had caught my eye. Then I'd felt anything but fine. I could feel it. The blade. It cut skin and muscle easily, snagged a little on tendons. The demons with talons or teeth were bad enough, but the ones with blades…they could make a person beg. Not that begging ever worked. Usually, it all just got worse when I begged. I could feel the blade, pulling down my side, the blood flowing out, warm and heavy against my too-cold skin— A hand wrapped around my shoulder from behind, shaking me. I jumped, snapping my head around. Mia frowning at me wasn't what I expected to find, but it was better than the alternatives. "You hear me, Sammy?" I blinked. "What?" "I said it's only a piece of aluminum, Sam. It's not a razor." I swear I heard a little flinch in her voice. She cuts with razors, or used to, anyway. I'd released a breath I didn't know I'd been holding and turned back to the open car door. Sure enough, it was just a scrap of an old can someone had left behind. I picked it up and moved it away from the road and into the garbage. I returned to the car and sighed. I shot a questioning look at Mia, wondering if maybe that psychic crack Dean had made at the motel held some water. Why had I started thinking that now? I hadn't had any type of hell related flashback for...what is it? Two years, ten months and three hundred twenty seven days now? I blinked. Wow. How did I remember all that? But then again, how could I not? We sat in silence for a few minutes. I tried to loosen the knot of tension that had developed in my shoulders, and made a point to stare in a different direction than before. Pulling all the memories back and stuffing them into the corners of my brain where I'd been keeping them wasn't easy. Some days it was impossible. Those were the times I professed to having migraines and stayed in bed. That wasn't really an option today, so I just tried to focus on something else. The cold breeze, sounds of footsteps on the ground, the sounds of cars rushing by on the street, the chattering of a pair of college-age girls nearby. Anything. "You should talk to Dean." Mia said softly. I turned again. Mia was watching me from her perch against the rear passenger side door, eyes filled with sympathy. No, not sympathy, I reminded myself. Empathy. Adam and Mia had hung beside me the whole time, though every nightmare in the past few months, till now. "He notices it, you know? He's not stupid." "I know that," I rumbled, vaguely annoyed. 'Don't you think I'd talk to him if I could?' I wanted to say it, but shook my head instead. "He's got enough problems without worrying about mine." Adam and Mia didn't answer, just shifted their view out the window, keeping an arm around Mia while she laid her head on his chest. A part of me smiled. The weather was in that odd phase between winter and spring. The sun warmed everything, making the inside of the car hot while the air outside was still chilly. With the Impala, that meant rolling the windows down when she was parked, otherwise we'd be drenched in sweat after only a short while. "Have you ever talked to him about it? Your stuff, I mean." I turned the argument around on Adam "Your nightmares are still bad." "Not really," Adam muttered, eyes far away. Mia rubbed his back in slow, comforting circles. "I don't really— I mean, he's my brother, but I don't want to talk about it." I smiled faintly. "You've known him as long as you've known me." "You know that isn't exactly true," Adam mused, cocking an eyebrow but still staring out the window. I knew what he meant. Me and Adam had spent...well, Hell was different. I knew, without any doubt, that I'd been down there a little over six months. I'd seen calendars, read newspapers, I knew that was true. Yet, in my mind, I felt ancient, rather than just shy of my twenty-eighth birthday. That dichotomy alone was gnawing at me. I should ask Dean how I'd kept from going crazy just thinking about that. How could you know precisely how old you were, yet literally feel decades older? How could you justify being gone only six months, with the memory of decades of pain and torture filling your brain? "Don't get me wrong," Adam continued as if he hadn't just sent my mind spinning off into a metaphysical knot. I realized I'd completely missed part of our conversation. "Dean's great. I wouldn't give either of you guys, Mia included, up for anything. I never had brothers before. It's just…hard to get used to." "It can be a blast," Dean cut in, dropping suddenly into the driver's seat. "Once you get used to Samantha's PMS." He playfully jabbed a bottle of water into my side. "Thanks." I sneered back, twisting the cap off the bottle while Dean handed Adam's fruit punch Gatorade and Mia's icy cold water over the seat. Mia and Adam both said thanks and smiled kindly at Dean. "What were you guys talking about? Looked pretty deep." Dean's expression was carefully neutral, but I knew he was probing. For a moment, he wasn't sure what to say. He didn't want to lie. There'd been too many lies. All that belonged behind them. Adam swooped to his rescue before Sam could answer. "Sam's buzz is just wearing off, and he's gettin' all depressed." "He misses his long ass girly hair." Mia chimed in helpfully. "Ah." Dean nodded, shifting the Impala into gear. "Been there, man. You know…I, for one, am going to miss this town. And I'm glad Samantha's hair is shorter. If it grew anymore I would have yelled from down below, on the ground, a high-ass tower with mint green grass, flowers, some birds chirping, bees buzzing, a shining lake off to my right in a leather suit of armor from the early mid evil era with a sword in a leather scarab on my back and a metal shield on my back, yelling: 'Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair, so that I can climb that shaggy ass hair!'" He smirked. We all laugh. I frowned at the non sequitur, glancing over. "Why else would you miss this town?" "It's one of the few places we've been where we can get socks in your size, Sasquatch." At my perplexed look, he added, "I saw them in that dresser." Adam and Mia laughed behind him. I glowered. "Jerk." "Bitch." Dean retorted. "Brats." Adam said. It was silent for a few seconds. "Whores." Mia said suddenly, a smirk etching her voice. We all turn to look at Mia, a smile of our own plastered on our faces. "Oh my god she's like us with our remarks now!" Dean said in sarcastic happiness. He shot me a smile. "She's learning fast!" We all laugh. According to the map, the route between High Point and Winston-Salem should have only taken twenty or so minutes. Unfortunately, a state trooper was up ahead, causing every car to slow to well below the speed limit. I cracked my window. The heat was building up, despite the vents being open. Adam had fallen asleep in the backseat, the caffeine wearing off and his long night catching up with him. Mia was sleeping on his chest, his arms wrapped around her comfortingly and protectively. I eyed Mia in the side mirror. I could tell a nightmare was starting. Sucks that one would start so soon. Mia groaned a bit and swallowed loudly, which put me on edge. I glanced nervously at her, then at Dean. "Should we wake her up?" Dean asked, glancing into the rearview. I shook my head, picking at the label on my water bottle. "It doesn't look too bad. She'll be okay, for as long as we're going to be on the road." We rode in silence for a beat before Dean spoke again. "How about you? How're you holding up?" "I have to pee," I deadpanned. Dean looked at me in momentary surprise, then laughed. "Of course you do. You guzzled that entire bottle of water in five minutes!" I grinned with him. It felt good. Just being. I'd give anything to spend the rest of my life like this, and sometimes, irrationally, I wished the road in front of us would never end. I wanted to stay just like this, free of my past, free of everything. With Mia and Addie included. But it never worked out that way. Not liking where that line of thought was leading, I shifted in my seat. "So, uh…do you think this is going to be anything?" Dean considered him for a moment, then shrugged. "I dunno. People think they see ghosts all the time, but it doesn't always mean anything. That cop said this woman lost her husband. Could be her imagination." "Yeah," I agreed. "Well, we should find a motel first, just in case we end up staying." "Yeah. You find out where we're going yet?" I pulled out my cellphone and used the GPS. "There's going to be an exit for a mall once we get into town. Take that one, go right, and we should be able to find the street easy enough." Dean nodded. "We should scope the town out a little, see what cover we can use." "You getting bored with the FBI again?" I smirked. "Well, from the sound of it, this seems kinda small for the Feds. I'm thinking we might want to be more creative." I glanced over. "Like how? Gas company? City inspector?" Dean shrugged. "Yeah, something like that. Besides, we're going to need to make new IDs anyway. We've never been here." That made me smile. As mundane as it might have been, I knew Dean loved making fake IDs. A glove box full of them, and yet my brother got positively giddy building a new cover like a toddler would when he saw a dog. Dean seemed to read my expression, since he was smiling, too. "It's the little things, bro." "It is." I smile. *Mia's POV* I surveyed the area around us warily. The address was pretty much at the end of Maplewood, just outside the city limits. Lots of trees surrounded the property, cutting off view of the street from most angles. The house—or maybe "palatial estate" described it better—dominated the property and cast looming shadows over their surroundings. Above the thick oak door, a large, stone gargoyle stared down at them, its bat-like wings curled behind it as if it were prepared to jump. "A little too Dracula…" I said quietly. "Tell me about it." Adam nodded, stepping up to ring the doorbell. The button was more modern, and out of place. We were posing as researchers from the local university, studying "legitimate paranormal events and how they affect everyday life." Dean was especially proud of this cover. I had to admit it was more fun than our usual federal agent shtick. It also meant they could dress less formally. No suits and ties, just blazers over button-down shirts, and school IDs hung on nylon lanyards around our necks. That helped, since we didn't have to wear something so formal, but it was relaxing, comfortable. The door opened, revealing a short woman wearing glasses. She looked like she hadn't slept well in days. "Yes?" Sam stepped forward slowly. "Mrs. Fleming?" "Yes." "Hello, we're sorry to disturb you, but we have a mutual friend in the police department, and we heard that…well, that you're having trouble. We'd like to help if we can." "Help me how?" Annette appeared hesitant. Sam put on his most sincere smile and plunged ahead. "We're researchers over at Wake Forest University, studying parapsychology and…well, local paranormal events. The incidents you reported sounded very interesting to us, and, with your permission, we'd like to open an investigation." Annette was still on guard, but I could see her relax slightly. She seemed intrigued. "And…Bob told you about…?" Cue Dean. "He told us the police department wasn't taking this as seriously as he thought they should. His superiors seemed to want to write the whole thing off as a prank, but he said he believed you. If you say something's going on, then it probably is and he put in a call to our office." "Yes." Sam nodded. "Oh, please, we're being rude. Allow us to introduce ourselves." He gestured toward Dean and Adam. "This is—" I blinked. Just like that, the whole cover story fled his brain. Not now…damn it! Think. We just went over it in the car! Thankfully, Dean seemed to sense his distress and took over, barely missing a beat. "I'm Doctor Stantz, this is Doctor Peck." He said, pointing to Adam. He gestured at Sam next. "This is Doctor Yeager." He gestured at me. "This is Doctor Wakely." Annette gave him a curious look, and He finally snapped out of his haze. She looked a little confused, but must have believed them, since she stepped back from the door and motioned them inside. "Please, come in. Uh…I'm happy someone believes us. For a while, I thought the police were just humoring us." "Well, please understand," Dean looked contrite, "the police aren't taking any official position. Bob just hoped we could help." "I understand," she replied, still appearing happy. "Um, please sit. Can I offer you anything?" Inside, the house seemed somewhat more welcoming, but not much. Ornate wood paneling covered every wall. The foyer led to a large den with a fireplace on one side and two large windows on the other. I spied a series of decorations and ornate woodwork along the walls—the craftsmanship was amazing. The ceiling was unusual, wide seams crisscrossing the stucco surface at bizarre angles that didn't follow the walls or windows. The four of us sat on her sofa, Dean smiling broadly. "Uh, actually, if Doctor Yeager here could have some water? He always gets so nervous around new people." She smiled. "Of course. I'll be right back." As soon as she was around the corner, Dean elbowed Sam and whispered, "Are you all right?" "I'm fine," Sam growled. "Sam…" "I'm fine!" Sam snapped, harsher than he intended. "I'm sorry, I just— I've got it together now, I swear." Annette reappeared with Sam's glass of water and a man in tow, cutting off any further discussion. "This is my husband, Ted." Dean, Sam, Adam and I rose in unison and introduced ourselves. Adam spoke up. "We were just talking about what an amazing house this is." "Thank you." Ted nodded. "Annette was telling me you are from the university." "Yes, sir." Adam smiled, raising his ID. Dean subtly elbowed him and hissed something that sounded like "Relax." Sam took a gulp of water from the glass. "Exactly what kind of investigation do you want to start here?" "Well," I began as we took our places on the sofa. Sam took another gulp of water. "As my associates were telling your wife, we've been studying urban legends, local ghost stories, anything paranormal that's indigenous to the area. Our goal is to determine the origins and what, if any, basis in fact these stories have." "Oh," Ted said quietly, clearly processing the story. "We've been working on this thesis for a few years now, and I have to tell you, this is the first time we've come across a paranormal event in progress. We're really excited!" Ted and Annette shared a look, and from what Sam could read, it looked hopeful. "Um, well, I can tell you we're relieved to see someone actually taking us seriously for a change… What, uh, what would we have to do?" Annette asked. "Nothing, absolutely nothing," Adam reassured them. "We need to look into the history of the house, the neighborhood, take some samples, and we'll have to interview you both very thoroughly as to what you've seen and heard. Other than that, you'll barely know we're here." Dean cleared his throat. "Uh, except for the EMF and the infrared scans of the house. It's more accurate when fewer people are around, and less power's being used, all that. We'd have to ask you to leave during that portion of the investigation. For a house this size, it'd probably take a couple of hours." "EMF?" Annette asked, frowning. Of course, civilians wouldn't know what it is, they are innocent people, after all. They have no idea what happens after hours. "Electromagnetic frequencies," Sam chimed in. "Spirits and certain…events produce energy that can linger around the location for days." Ted didn't seem as curious. "Look, guys, I'm sorry, but we can't just let you have the run of our home without some kind of proof that you are who you say you are." I nodded sympathetically. "We completely understand your hesitation, Mr. Fleming. Believe me, we're used to it. I know all this must be a little overwhelming." I dug in my coat pocket and produced a business card. "Here. You can call this number, talk to Professor Singer. He's head of the project." "Not local?" Ted asked, eyeing the card with some suspicion. Adam was quick to smile. "He's local, but he's still using his old number from South Dakota State. He's based right here on the Wake Forest campus. If you'd like to call," Adam eyed his watch, "he should be in the office." The Flemings looked from the card to their visitors and back. Finally, Ted nodded. "All right. Excuse us. Honey?" Annette followed him back into the kitchen. *Bobby's POV* I had just found the passage I'd been searching for when the phone started ringing. Again. With a sigh, I set the massive demonology text aside and headed for the kitchen. "You're just gonna have to wait a little longer, Rufus." Dean had finally gotten the lights set up, so it was easier to pinpoint which of the six phones was ringing—the gaudy yellow cordless marked "academia" in this case. The boys and Mia seemed to be branching out lately, using fewer law enforcement covers. I picked up the phone on the third ring. Showtime. "Hello?" "Is this…Robert Singer?" I huffed. "Yes, I am Doctor Singer. How can I help you?" "Ah, well, Doctor Singer, this is Ted Fleming. A few of your researchers are here talking to us…" "Oh, right. The house on Maplewood. You know, I gotta tell ya, I was so happy when we got that call about your situation." "Happy? Really?" "You have no idea how much we needed a solid lead. We have been running around, talking to every schizo in the—" I glanced at the North Carolina map I'd laid out on the table, "Triad who says he's had a paranormal experience, and they haven't seen anything. The Board of Regents was this close to terminating our grant!" "Really?" Ted repeated. His tone was shifting from skeptical to interested. I smirked. Always add a little desperation to the story. Sells it every time. "Oh, yes. So you can imagine, if you have a bona fide ghost on your hands, it'll be a godsend for us. The program could get another two years!" "I see." Time to switch it up. My tone sobered. "Of course, our problems are nothing like yours, from what they told me. You should know that studying these events isn't our only purpose. We also work on methods of prevention." "Prevention?" "Absolutely. Proving these paranormal events actually happen is great, and fills papers just fine, but our project is also aimed at helping the people who suffer from these phenomena. The purpose of science is to serve mankind, after all." What a load of liberal, academic crap! I shook my head, smiling. I hadn't known I had it in me. The boys and Mia were going to owe me after this. Although, Mia is a sweetheart. I don't wanna land anything on her. "Well, that's…good to hear," Ted replied. From the tone, I could tell he was leaning toward buying the story. It was time to push him over the edge. "So," I started cheerfully, "let me tell you a little about our program…" *Mia's POV* We were in the second floor study where Annette had told us she and her husband had heard most of the sounds. One side of the room was clear, with the original worn, wood-covered walls. The other was cluttered with a workbench and tools, and a section of exposed studs inside one wall was covered with a blue plastic tarp. The ceiling was the same stucco style as the rest of the house, and strangely marred by wide seams that crossed each other but formed no real pattern. Dean came up from the first floor. He called out and waved us into the room. "Hey." Dean pocketed his notepad as he entered. "Well, the Flemings are gone. They're taking the kid to a movie, shopping, then dinner. We have a few hours to ourselves." "You finish the interviews?" Sam asked, adjusting a dial on the scanner. "Yup. Everything they said sounds like a legit haunting. They've got noises, cold spots, flickering lights, the whole deal." "You ask about her husband? Or, her first husband?" Adam asked. Dean continued blithely on. "Yeah, that's the part that makes me think this might be the real thing. Her husband—her first husband—Alex is the one who bought this place. He was trying to fix it up when he supposedly offed himself about a year and a half ago." Adam shook his head, scanning the room again. "I'm surprised they stayed here." "Apparently they sank all their money into it. She couldn't have moved even if she wanted to." "And she's married again already?" I asked, looking up from the scan. "It happens," Sam murmured, searching the wall for something. "Yeah, well," Dean cut in, propping himself up on an ornate wood desk that looked like it had to weigh a hundred pounds. "That's what makes me think this is legit. Her husband commits suicide, she marries his brother barely a year later, and the brother is now working on the same room where the first hubby died." "Maybe Alex doesn't like Ted moving in on his wife," Sam mused absently, pulling at the face of an oak panel along the ornate wall. "Or working in the same room where he died," Dean agreed. He shifted his gaze to me. "So, you think we should just dig up Alex's bones? Seems pretty cut and dry." I looked up at him, then at Sam, who was also looking my way. They both wore perfect poker faces. That clued me in: I was being tested. God, really? I've been at the job for six months and their testing me? With a glance around the room, I bit my lip, then finally shook my head. "No. We don't know for sure yet. We need to rule everything else out first." Dean and Sam grinned, and Adam smiled as he went back to whatever he was doing. Apparently, I had passed. "So, what made the husband kill himself? The first husband, I mean." "Annette doesn't know for certain," Dean said, reaching for his notepad again. "She did say that the day it happened, he was acting really strange. Said he seemed obsessed with this remodeling project, and 'depressed that it was taking so long.'" "Depressed enough to kill himself?" Adam asked. I wince at that. Adam shot me a glance and mouthed sorry. Dean shrugged. "Apparently, but she says it came out of nowhere. One day he was fine, the next he was agitated." Adam frowned. "That doesn't seem normal." "Yeah, and it seemed to come and go. He was obsessing over it in the morning, then fine around lunch, then got upset again…each time it got worse." "You think there's something to that, or was he just losing his mind?" "I don't know. What are you so fascinated with, Sammy?" Dean asked, changing the subject. He straightened up and strolled over to the wall. "This panel… Give me a hand with this," Sam replied, stepping in closer to the wall to let Dean join him. Together, we pulled on the polished panel. The wood groaned as we put their weight into it, and then swung out with a dull pop. There was a hidden compartment behind it. "What are those?" Dean asked, stepping back. Adam moved around behind him. Inside the wall were three metal levers, attached to a complex-looking set of bronze gears and pipes that seemed to extend down behind the wall and into the floor. "No idea," Sam murmured, trying—and downright failing—to get his head inside the small space next to the levers to peer down. "But it looks like they go down a long way." Adam shrugged. "Maybe those are controls for a dumbwaiter or something." "Maybe," Sam replied, pulling out a pad and pencil and sketching a few symbols. "But there are some markings in here, all up and down the walls. I don't know…it seems like I've seen them before." Dean frowned, crossing his arms. "Well, house looks like Dracula's castle, it's bound to have a few secret passages and crazy machines buried inside. I say we keep our eyes on the ball. What do you think we should do next?" "Well, we think the angry spirit might be the husband but, we need to be sure. I think we should finish looking at the rest of the house, then talk to the neighbors, maybe the house's last owner, see if anything like this has happened before." Dean shared a look with Sam, who raised his eyebrows, then nodded and gestured at the scanner in Adam's hand. Adam frowned, clearly confused. "All right. That scanner covers a lot of ground, why don't you and Mia keep going with that, and Sam and I can sweep for EMF." Ted was shaking his head again. Annette turned to him while Ian told the concession stand worker which candy he wanted. "What?" "Nothing," Ted murmured, staring somewhat blankly at a spot on the theater's menu. Annette frowned at him. "You've been acting funny ever since we ate. What's going on?" "It's not— It isn't important." "Obviously, it is," Annette shot back, paying for Ian's food and Icee. "So, tell me." Ted was fidgeting more than he had on their first date. What's up with him? "I—I just hope they finish soon." "Who?" Annette blinked, then realized what he was talking about. "The guys from Wake?" "Yes. This is taking so long. I'm losing time." "Time?" "On the house! I need to get moving on it. Alex would have wanted that." "What's the rush? You've been working on it for months already. A few more hours won't hurt." "Wasted time," Ted muttered quietly. "So much wasted time." He stepped away, heading toward the attendant who was tearing tickets, shaking his head. Annette just stared after him. She hadn't seen him look so sad since Alex had died. *Mia's POV* Even with the four of us splitting up, it was barely after lunch when we finished scanning the enormous house—some two hours after we started. After that, we left, divvying up tasks. Dean was checking with the house's previous owner, a local landlord. Sam had gone to the County Registrar to research the house itself. That left Adam and I interviewing the neighbors. After a few hours of gossip, rumors, and slammed doors, we wished we had switched with Sam or Dean. I was starting to think his brothers had taken the sweet jobs. *Sam's POV* "What address was that again?" The clerk asked with a definite sigh. He had his back to Sam, flipping through files in a long cabinet. The Registrar's office was nicely adorned, and almost completely deserted, save the clerk and a secretary sitting across the room. I frowned. I'd given the address three times already. "Two-two-oh-six Maplewood." "And how far back?" "As far back as you have," I replied calmly. Honestly, I wanted to leave because it was taking too long and the clerk was a huge dick, but I have to stay focused on the hunt. The portly clerk turned to me, frowning over his wire-rimmed glasses and not bothering to hide his obvious boredom. "That'll take at least a few days, sir." "What?" I was incredulous. "You're kidding!" "There are a lot of files to go through, sir." I stared at him for a moment. "Look…I need this for a very important project for the university. I need to look through those files today. Please." The man stared back, unaffected by my polite explanation. He cocked one eyebrow. "There are a lot of files to go through, sir. And we are very busy." I turned, scanning the completely empty foyer behind him, then turned back to the clerk, who was still staring, one eyebrow higher than the other. It took me a moment to decipher the look, though I should have caught it sooner. I'd seen it before. "I don't believe this," Sam muttered darkly. He reached into his pocket for his wallet, took out a twenty dollar bill, placed it on the counter, and slid it to the clerk. The clerk eyed the bill. "I'd say it'll still take at least two days, sir." I glowered at him, and slapped a ten on top of the twenty. The clerk's expression brightened as he casually slid the bills over and into his own pocket. "Why don't you have a seat, sir, I'll be right out." I pinched my lips together and tried to refrain from the response I wanted to give. "Thank you." *Mia's POV* Adam and I are walking up the street, hand in hand, back toward the Flemings' when Dean exited a small Colonial house near the intersection. "Tell Doctor Singer I said hello!" a man called from the door, waving. Dean grinned. "Will do!" "Who is that?" Adam asked quietly as Dean fell into step beside us. "Mark Tulley, the last owner of the house." "He know anything?" I asked. "A little too much," Dean murmured. "It was like freakin' TRON in there." Adam looked at him quizzically. "Huh?" Dean blinked, and seemed to snap out of whatever he was thinking about. "Forget it. He didn't know much. He said the basement was creepy, but never saw anything." "Sam got an EMF spike in the basement, but I thought you said it was that transformer outside?" I blinked. "Might have been." Dean shrugged. "We should probably look again to be sure. What did you find?" Adam rolled his eyes. "A bunch of grouchy neighbors who keep to themselves." We left out our run-in with a pretty, but very desperate housewife, who was trying to hit on Adam before we finally had to pull away because I was refraining from punching her in her caked-in-makeup face. The less said about that, the better. Dean grunted. "Well, let's get back and check out the basement. Sam should be back soon." We walked in silence for a few minutes before Dean spoke again. "Hey, can I ask you something?" Dean was many things, but shy wasn't one of them. Adam frowned. "Sure." "Has Sam, uh…" Dean looked uncomfortable. "Has he said anything to you? Either of you? You know, about…stuff?" Adam just blinked at him for a moment, uncomprehendingly. "Like what?" Dean glared at him. Adam cocked his head to the side. "You mean like…Hell?" I wasn't sure why he lowered his voice. We were the only people on the tree-lined street, despite it being a relatively nice day. It was probably because of me. He didn't want to talk about it in front of me, for my sake. Dean nodded, turning his gaze forward and keeping it that way. Adam frowned. "Well, a little. But not much." "Mmm." Dean nodded faintly but said nothing else. "He's pretty much kept it bottled up. I tried talking to him, but…." Dean looked at him when he trailed off. "But?" "But…I'm not you," Adam admitted uncomfortably. Glancing at Dean's surprised expression, he added, "For what it's worth, I told him he should. Talk to you, I mean. I think he's being an ass trying to keep it to himself." "Yeah," Dean chuckled. "You think you get used to that side of Sammy, but you never do." "Have you talked to him about it? Or about your nightmares?" Dean's eyebrows rose. "No. No, I wouldn't… He's got a lot on his plate right now. He doesn't need my problems." I shook my head and smirked. No wonder they argue so much. They're just alike. "Well, maybe you should. If you open up, he might." It was Dean's turn to smirk. "I show him mine, he shows me his?" Adam grinned ruefully. "You're the one who went there, perv." "Jerk." Dean shoved him lightheartedly into the next mailbox. "Brats." Adam chuckled. "Whores." I spoke up, smirking. Sam laid the last of the photocopies from the registrar's office on the small motel room table as he plopped down into one of the chairs. Dean glanced over the pages while Adam and I watched from the edge of one of the beds. "Well, I traced the house's owners all the way back to 1950, though obviously it's a lot older than that. There's no record of anything bizarre or out of the ordinary. The earliest owner I could find," Sam flipped through some notes until he found it, "Nicolas Novak, died in 1950. The house stayed in probate for a long time. Novak didn't have kids or any close relatives, and finally the state sold the place at auction. That was…1958." "Anything strange with the buyers?" Dean asked, looking over a copy of the original deed. "Nothing. It's been bought a few times, but no one seems to stay in it very long. Few years at most. Finally Mark Tulley bought the lot three years ago, then turned around and sold it to the Flemings a year later." "Okay, so it sounds like the house is clean, and I take it all the owners except Alex Fleming got out alive?" Adam asked. Sam nodded. "His is the only death, of any kind, related to the house that I could find." "So this is just a plain haunting." Adam mused. "And we're sure Fleming committed suicide?" I asked. Dean huffed a laugh. "You're wondering if the wife or pencil-neck brother might have killed him." Adam shrugged. "It happens. I've seen it on TV." Sam grinned. "Well, it does happen, but I don't think this was one of those times. I checked out the coroner's report while I was out. Fleming hanged himself, and it was definitely self-inflicted. All the medical reports check out." "Then we're done," Adam concluded, standing up and pulling his tennis shoes back on. "Salt and burn the bones, and it's Miller time." He said, giving me a kiss. Dean grinned at Sam. "Look at this! Kid has been paying attention. You know where Fleming is buried?" Sam nodded again, sliding over another set of notes and a road map with a faintly smug look on his face. "Yep. Parklawn Memorial Gardens, across town. Southern edge, near a tree grove." "Don't know why I ask," Dean murmured. "Well, let's tell the Flemings the good news." Adam paused as he donned his jacket and looked at Dean incredulously. "That we're going to dig up her husband's body and torch it?" Sam smiled. "Maybe not all of the good news." *Dean's POV* I killed the Impala's headlights once we passed the white brick gateway of the cemetery. The sun had already gone down, and there were no other cars in sight as they followed the winding road to the south side. Only a few lights were scattered among the headstones, illuminating a flag here and a monument there. My baby would blend into the shadows perfectly, invisible to anyone driving on the distant highway. Like the Batmobile. The thought made me smile. Sam must have been reading my mind, because I got poked in the ribs as Sammy unfolded himself out the door. "Come on, Dark Knight. We got work to do." "How did you know?" "I'm psychic," Sam shot back snidely. "You're just jealous because me being Batman makes you Robin." Sam opened his mouth, then closed it again helplessly. I laughed. "Oh, what's that? No comeback? Because you know it's true?" "Shut up," Sam griped. Adam and Mia just shook their heads as they headed for the trunk. I popped the lid, then raised the false bottom to uncover our supplies. Salt, matches, and accelerant went into the leather satchel Sam held open. I distributed sawed-off shotguns to each of them, glancing around. The sounds of my brothers and Mia checking the chambers and loading salt rounds melded with the rhythmic sounds of night insects. We were completely alone. I checked my own weapon last then, with Sam, reached for the shovels. "So," Adam spoke up behind them, "how do you decide who shovels first? Rock, paper, scissors, like everything else?" Dean kept his face neutral and looked at Sam, who met his gaze steadily. "I got the shovel." Sam said. "I got the bag," I said, taking the satchel and stepping away from the car. "I got the flashlights," Mia called, snagging the flashlight and closing the trunk, and handing one to Adam. Sam fell into step beside me as we headed for the row of graves. Adam called after us. "Oh, great. This you agree on!" I was glad we were alone. Otherwise, someone would have heard our laughter. Sam began scanning the brass plaque headstones for Fleming's name. The light stopped on a small, squat stone nestled under a maple tree at the edge of the lawn. "Here we go." Mia said. *Mia's POV* Sam handed the flashlight to me, then grabbed one of the shovels from Dean. He looked at Adam. "All right. I'll help you break the ground, but then you're taking first shift." "I got…one question," Adam said, breathing hard as he dumped another shovel-load of dirt up onto the grass. He was five feet down into the ground, and despite the cool night air, he was sweating. "What's that?" Sam asked, keeping the flashlight beam on the dirt under Adam's feet. Adam paused, panting, and leaned against the edge of the open grave. "Why do...Let you...drag my ass...everywhere?" Sam looked over at Dean, who glanced between his two brothers. They shrugged in unison. "Because you love us." Sam smiles. "And because of Mia," Dean added. "You'd be lost without her." Dean smiles again. "You two are soooo cute together!" "God, I hate you guys, but I love Mia." Adam breathed, rolling his eyes at them but smiling at me. Dean handed him a bottle of water. "Look on the bright side." "What's that?" "You'll sleep like a log tonight." Adam sneered at him. "Thanks." "Anytime, bro." Sighing, Adam went back to work. His shoulders were going to be killing him in the morning. It took another half-hour to finally reach Fleming's casket. It was one of the fancy ones with a domed lid, so Dean hopped down into the grave and helped him clear the dirt off to the perimeter. They cleared the entire length of the coffin so they could open both halves. The body was much like the handful of others I had seen since joining up with the Winchester brothers. Dry, desiccated flesh draped over stained bones—mildly creepy, but also carrying an odd serenity about it. Sam and Dean had burned three and a half dozen in the past few months, but this time, I felt different, and I'm not sure why. "Showtime Mimi.." Dean punched my chest lightly, breaking me out of my thoughts. "It's Mia." I say, gritting my teeth. Sam smiled and handed us salt cartons. Dean took the bottom, starting with the feet, Adam started at the skull, and I started with the stomach. I poured the salt as instructed. It had to be even, cover it all, but you don't have to bury it. That task done, Dean, Adam and I climbed out of the grave, and Sam used the squeeze bottle to drench the corpse with accelerant. When he was done, he turned and silently handed Adam the box of matches. Adam took a breath, then removed one of the stick matches and struck it. The flame sprang to life, lighting up all of our faces briefly before settling. When the flame settled, he tossed it down onto Alex Fleming's sternum. "Rest in peace." I said, watching the flames lick the skeletons feet. The match struck home along Fleming's ribcage, and in seconds the entire body and the fabric casket liner were engulfed in fire in seconds. I watched the flames lick the skeletons feet. As I watched the fire spread even more, I heard Sam and Dean whispering behind us. "That was nice. Why don't we say things like that?" Dean murmured. "Because we're too damn jaded?" Sam shot back. The fire was burning brightly, and for a moment, I was elsewhere. I could faintly hear my friends screams in the distance, echoing all around me. I could feel my fathers strings of bad words and slaps, the feel of the cold metal blade in my hands, quickly slicing across my skin. The pressure was constant, even long after the punctured flesh had gone numb. A large set of hands gripping my shoulders broke me out of the memory, thankfully. I turned to see Sam behind me, smiling. Adam wrapped an arm around my waist, holding me closer. The taller man's expression was pleased, but with a tinge of sadness. I could only wonder at what he might be thinking. Dean thrust the half-full water bottle back into Adam's hand and grabbed one of the shovels. "Take a load off. Sam and I will finish up, then it's Miller time!" While the brothers started shoveling the dirt back into the grave, I settled onto a squat headstone a dozen feet away and gulped my water. I felt inordinately pleased with myself. "Hunter" wasn't the same as "M.D." or "Ph.D," but now that I had a lot of successful hunts under my belt, I found I really liked the sound of it. "Name's Mia. I'm a hunter," I said quietly, testing the words. I nodded to myself. "I can get used to that." "Don't say that too loud, kid," Dean admonished, dumping dirt into the hole. "We tend to get locked up for this kind of work." Adam laughed. "Geez. You've got bat ears, Dean." I giggled. Dean turned and pointed to Sam. "See?" Sam blew out a put-upon sigh. "Oh, brother…." *The next night* Ted looked pleased as the beam he'd been cutting the day before fit perfectly into place along the north wall of the study. Annette watched from the doorway as her husband slid the wood into place, then grinned with pleasure as he reached for a hammer. "I see you're feeling better," she said softly. He glanced at her over his shoulder, frowning slightly. "What do you mean?" "Yesterday you were…well, you were worrying me." "Really?" His frown deepened. "Oh. I'm sorry. I guess I'm just tired, you know. This two-person construction crew thing we have going really wears me out." "Maybe we need to get away. Take a vacation." Ted shrugged. "Sure, maybe. When Ian's school lets out." Annette nodded as she suppressed a sudden chill, rubbing her shivering arms. "Yeah. If nothing else happens." She didn't know why, but she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong. Doctor Stantz had called and told them the problem was fixed, but for some reason, it didn't feel like it. At all. "I don't know why you're still worrying about it," Ted broke into her thoughts, stepping over to hold her. "Those guys from the university said they've taken care of it. They believed our story and apparently helped us out. We haven't heard a thing all day. I'd say things are looking up." Annette couldn't help but smile. "I guess so." "Now," Ted released her, and went back to the work bench, "you want to sand or scrape?" She laughed. "Neither! I'll go put on dinner." "Ooh, what are we having?" "That smoked salmon I found at the market." "That sounds great!" Ted exclaimed, overcompensating. She loved him for trying to lighten the mood. "For twenty-four ninety-five a pound, it better be!" she shot back, heading downstairs. Ian was coloring at the dining room table while she cooked. He was coping as well as any five-year-old, but she knew he missed his father and didn't truly understand why their lives had changed so much. Maybe someday soon she would find a way to explain it all to him. The fish was nearly done, so she called Ian over while she arranged the plates. "Can you go and get Uncle Ted for Mommy? Dinner's ready." Ian nodded and bounded up the stairs, as he was prone to doing. Annette set the table. Ted went back to work after Annette left. He was glad her spirits appeared to be rising. It had been a difficult year for both of them, and for a while she hadn't seemed to be coping well. He placed another two-by-four on the bench and started measuring. The study was coming along nicely: two of the walls were already redone. Though, the scientists from Wake had found something bizarre behind a loose panel. Ted couldn't tell what the brass levers and pipes did, exactly. It was just another mystery for him to solve. The air turned frigid while Ted made pencil marks on the new beam. Another mystery. It seemed all the house had were mysteries. And tragedies. This place has taken my brother, my business…it's tormenting my wife. When will it end? Ted dropped the pencil. What was the point? There was always another catastrophe waiting around the corner. Those guys from the university couldn't help with that. 'I've put all this work into this house…and it's going nowhere.' Ted just didn't know why he even tried to move on. The pasta was almost ready, so Annette moved on to the salads. She had the salad on the table before she realized that it had been several minutes, and Ian wasn't back yet. "Ian! Ted! Dinner's almost ready!" What's taking them so long? She sighed, then wiped her hands and headed upstairs. "Ian? Ted?" Ian was giggling, and Annette could hear the floor creaking like he was running. She rounded the corner into the study. "Ted—?" Annette froze. Ted was hanging from one of the exposed rafters, neck at an unnatural angle, eyes wide but unseeing, his mouth hanging open. Ian was running back and forth, swinging the body as if he was on a playground, and laughing. "Mommy! Uncle Ted and I are swinging!" Annette stared at him, then at the body, back and forth, and did the only thing she could think of. She screamed. *Mia's POV* Dean turned away from the television and watched as Sam dropped onto the other bed with a sigh. We'd all woken up late after spending half the night out celebrating the successful hunt. Sam took Adam out for a run, but griped the whole way out the door about not being near me. We all laughed, but Adam looked serious. Me and Dean chose to stay inside, because we chose to begin cleaning the weapons. Adam took the first shower when they got back, leaving Dean, Sammy and I alone in the room. Sam was using his t-shirt to wipe sweat from his eyes. It was the first time we'd been alone in a few days. Dean looked at his brother casually while he cleaned the bore on his pearl-handled automatic. "Nice run?" "Yeah." "Adam bitch the whole time?" Sam ran his hand through his hair and chuckled. "The whole six miles." I huffed, reassembling the handgun and picking up the demon knife and cleaning the blade throughly with a rag. "So, uh…are you okay?" Dean asked. Sam glanced at him, brow furrowing slightly. "Yeah…just winded." Dean stared at him for a long moment. He deliberately kept his tone light. "I, uh, heard you get up last night. Can't imagine any email worth reading at four in the morning." The expression on his brother's face fell. Sam shifted his gaze to the television and kept it there. "Look…Dean…." There was no mistaking the reluctance on Sam's face, and the way his mouth was tensing, I knew immediately it would be like pulling teeth. Luckily, Dean decided to back off. I can tell Dean wanted to help, but forcing a confession or revelation out of Sam wouldn't help anything, and might make it worse. "It's okay, Sammy. Just…if you ever want to talk…you know." Sam glanced at him, finally, and nodded. "I— Just give me a little time. Okay?" Dean nodded firmly, once. "Sure, man." Maybe Adam is right…" A brief, troubled expression crossed Sam's face, but he kept quiet and just stared at the television. A moment later, Adam emerged from the bathroom, clad in a clean pair of jeans, a towel draped over his shoulders. Dean smirked. "Well, if it isn't the Running Man. Feel better?" Adam padded barefoot over to his duffel bag, grumbling something barely audible about lazy older brothers, but before Dean could pursue the comment, Sam spoke up. "Hey, turn the volume up, Dean." Dean followed Sam's look to the TV, reaching for the remote. The Flemings' house was on the screen, with several emergency vehicles parked in the driveway. "…called to this house on Maplewood Ave. Authorities were called when one of the house's owners, Ted Fleming, was found dead in an upstairs room. Mr. Fleming's wife called 9-1-1, but Mr. Fleming was pronounced dead at the scene. A police spokesman tells WXII that there were no signs of foul play, and this appears to be a tragic suicide." "What the hell?" Adam had come to stand near Sam's bed. "I thought we got it." I said, staring at the TV. Dean turned the volume down and glanced over grimly. "We missed something." Sam exited the house and slipped past the two cops chatting near the front door, joining Dean and Adam near the roadside mailbox. "Just gave that study a quick once-over. EMF is off the charts! Even taking that transformer into account, the readings were way too high. You talk to Mrs. Fleming?" Dean pointed to where Annette was standing with her son, talking to the police. "For a minute. She's pretty messed up. Said Ted was acting funny yesterday while they were out, but seemed fine today." "Just like the first husband," Adam added. "She said the kid found him at dinnertime," I continued. "Thought Ted was playing a game. Pretty gruesome." Adam nodded toward the ambulance. "They said Ted definitely hanged himself. There was nothing to suggest that anyone killed him." I scanned the grounds, noting that the news crew had already pulled out. The paramedics were packing up, and the police wouldn't be far behind. "We need to get in there and go over the house again." Dean dangled the house keys. "Annette said she's not going back if she can help it. She's staying with a friend for the next few days." They loitered near the Impala, cautiously stocking two duffel bags with our weapons and supplies, waiting for the authorities to clear out. They were parked a few houses down the street so as not to attract attention. "Maybe it was a poltergeist instead of a spirit," Adam ventured, packing salt and holy water into one bag. I put another canteen of salt in a smaller duffel bag, just in case. "Maybe," Dean acknowledged. "Some of the signs are the same, and just because there's no history, it doesn't mean one wasn't attracted to this place when Alex killed himself." Sam grunted, staring vaguely in the house's direction. Dean nudged him. "Something on your mind?" "Why wouldn't it attack Annette or Ian, too?" Sam asked, gaze distant. "Why just the husband?" "Well, Annette said she saw something around the fireplace. Maybe it just didn't have a chance to get her." "Mmm. Maybe." Sam didn't sound convinced. "Hey, last cops leaving." I said, as the cop car pulled away and disappeared down the road. Dean double-checked our duffels, then closed the trunk, locking the Impala doors as he did so. "All right. Let's go. Keep your eyes open." We walked nonchalantly up the street, and crossed into the Flemings' yard. After a careful look around the premises, Dean unlocked the front door and we slipped inside. The second floor study seemed the best place to start. Both Alex and Ted had hanged themselves from the exposed ceiling rafters—almost in the exact same spot, right in front of the wall panel concealing the odd levers I had discovered. Sam pulled the sawhorse over and climbed up to get a better look at the rafters. The beams themselves didn't appear special. Angling the flashlight upward, he peered into the dusty gloom above the ceiling panels. "They were collecting more than dust," Sam called down. "There's ectoplasm up here. A lot of it. Dripping down the support beams." "Ectoplasm?" I incredulously asked from below. "Really?" "Yeah," Dean answered, trying in vain to peek past Sam's bulky frame to see for himself. "It's real. But it only manifests when you have a seriously powerful spirit." "Or a really pissed off one," Sam added from above. "We've only seen it three or four times in our lives," Dean finished. "Hey," Sam pulled the flashlight back, holding the rafters to steady himself while he climbed down, "Didn't Annette say she saw a spirit in the fireplace? I'll bet we find some dried up slime down there." He looked around the study for a moment, then walked over to where Ted had been working. The plastic tarp was bundled up in the corner, leaving a clear view of the exposed space behind the walls. More ectoplasm stained the newer studs Ted had been building. Deeper inside, though, Sam saw something else. "More of those symbols. Like on those levers." "You still think you've seen them somewhere?" I asked, peering into the mass of brass piping Sam found. "Somewhere…" Sam twisted his neck to look beyond the remaining wall panels. "They go up. Toward the third floor, looks like." "What's above this room?" Dean asked, glancing at the ceiling. The third floor was more deteriorated than the first two. Annette had told us that very little work had been done because the wiring needed to be replaced. We moved through the dusty hallway until they found a spot almost directly over the study. The entrance to the room had been closed off with a plaster wall long before. Sam shone his flashlight along the discolored plaster surface. We'd passed the wall during our first scan of the house, but Ted probably wouldn't have appreciated them breaking into it, so we'd left it. "Someone didn't want anyone going in there. What do you think it was?" I was closest to the wall, and was pulling a plastic cover off a square hole in the wood near the edge of the plaster. I looked inside. "Looks like they cut this to get to the wiring. It goes all the way through…I don't know. Might be another study, or a library maybe. There are covers over everything." "We should find a way inside," Adam said, shining his flashlight down the hallway, looking for another entrance. "I think I can handle that," Dean replied with a smirk. He turned and descended the stairs, returned a minute later. Sam's eyebrows rose when he saw what Dean returned with. "I think these'll help." Dean handed one of the sledgehammers to Sam. Sam handed his light off to Adam, while I shone the flashlight around the room, looking for anything else that was suspicious, then turned to help shine extra light on the panel, then we set to work. Within a few minutes, we'd opened a hole large enough to pass through. Next, though, we found that the door to the room had also been covered in plywood. "Someone really didn't want anyone going in there," Sam noted, bemused. The sledgehammers made short work of the rotten wood, and we were through. The room was clearly a library. Tall bookcases lined the walls on either side. A small table with chairs sat in front of the entranceway, and farther back, before a boarded-up window, sat a huge desk. Everything was carefully covered over with heavy canvas sheets. When they pulled the nearest sheet off, the table beneath was perfectly clean. Within a matter of moments, Dean and Sam had all the canvas covers removed, and were searching the shelves while Adam and I searched the desk. Sam whistled softly. "Look at this stuff…" he said, more than a hint of fascination in his voice. "Almost all of these books date back to the 1800s. I've only seen one so far that was written after 1900." "Glad to see your inner geek is as healthy as ever," Dean shot back, shining his flashlight on the shelves as he moved. "Is it just me, or are all of these grimoires and demonology books?" "I think so," Sam replied. "Old ones. Very old ones. Dangerous ones." He came to the end of one shelf and ran his light over the wooden side. Another symbol was carved into the wood, a chalice shape with a semicircle inside. A bar crossed the stem of the chalice, forming a small cross. "Hey, Dean? Over here." Dean joined him, shining his light in the same area. "What is that?" "The symbol for Pluto," Sam answered, studying the carving. "Not the dog, I'm assuming." I chuckled, and it echoed off the library walls. "No," I said, chuckled again, "The mythological Pluto. King of the Underworld, according to some myths, in Rome, he is the Greek equivalent to Hades. In astrology, it's associated with death and rebirth, world events, like the rise and fall of empires and stuff like that." Dean nodded. "Comforting." "Hey, check this out," Adam called from behind the huge desk. He was flipping through a leather-bound book that resembled their father's journal. "This is the journal of Nicolas Shandor. Hey, Sam, didn't you say the first owner of this place was a Nicolas?" Sam glanced over at him from the book shelves. "Yeah. Novak was his last name, though." Adam was reading the last page of the journal and frowning. "Um, I don't think so. Listen to this. 'I have done all I can. Father's legacy permeates this place, but with him dead, the beast cannot awaken. I would burn the house as well, but I do not know what the result would be. It might well release it, and that is too dangerous. I tried to burn the books, but Father protected them somehow. I decided instead to leave them here. Someone with more experience may be able to use them to undo what Father tried to set into motion. I changed everything over to Mother's name. I have come to believe the Shandor line is cursed by the darkness Father and his friends harnessed. With luck, no one will ever find out.'" I checked the previous page and pointed to the header. "January 31, 1930." Sam had moved to read along over Adam's shoulder. He pursed his lips as he considered the evidence, then reached for his duffel and brought out his photocopies from the records office. "That…actually might answer some questions. The deed for the house looked fishy to me. I thought at first it had just deteriorated with age, but the paper looked weird on the line where Nicolas Novak's name was printed." "So?" Dean asked from across the room. He had moved from the shelves and was scanning the ceiling with his flashlight. "So," Sam continued, "Maybe the paper wasn't damaged. Maybe the names had been changed. Nicolas might not have been the original owner of this house." "Changed by who? Nicolas?" I asked. "Sure. Look at this house. The family obviously had money. They could grease a few palms in the records office just as easily back then as they can now. Maybe easier." Adam considered that, then frowned. "Why?" Sam shrugged. "Maybe the father was interested in things that embarrassed the family. I mean, check out these books. Looks like he was into everything: alchemy, sorcery, necromancy… You name it, he's got a book on it." Dean was still staring upward. "So, little Nicky and the rest of the family don't like what Dad is into, so they change the names, pay off the records clerks, and seal all the dad's stuff up in here and hope no one finds it." "From the look of that wall, no one did," Adam said, gesturing toward the door. "Until now." I noticed that Dean was still looking up. I followed his gaze, tilting my head to examine the ceiling. More of the brass pipes and conduits ran along the ceiling, following along what appeared to be a seam in the stucco. "Dean? What is it?" Dean grunted. "I don't know. Does that look weird to you?" "What, the seam?" "Yeah. It doesn't line up with the room. See? It comes across at an angle, away from the line of the walls. The pipes follow it. More of those same symbols, too." Sam was looking up too, but his eyes zeroed in on something else. "Dean, over toward the wall. Those are different. I know I've seen those symbols before." Dean shifted his light to where Sam was focused. He recognized the new symbols, too. "Wait, aren't those—?" "Yeah," Sam said grimly. "That's exactly what they are." Adam stood from the desk and moved to Sam's side. "What?" "They're from the Key of Solomon." A shiver moved up my spine. "We need to go to a library." "Let's try the university. They're probably open all night," Dean suggested. "Yeah." Sam nodded, staring at the symbols painted above them. "And we need to see if the plans for this house still exist. I've got a really bad feeling about this." Sam and I stopped off at the Wake Forest library while Dean and Adam headed to the county records department. He gave me a kiss before leaving, and my cheek burned where his lips touched mine. We set up shop in a private study room in a quiet, deserted corner of the book stacks. "What exactly are we looking for?" I asked. I hadn't quite picked up on the silent language my friends seemed to excelled at. The connection between the house and the odd symbols eluded me. "Answers," Sam replied cryptically, a coy smile tugging at his mouth. "Mia, I need you to have a seat and go through Nicolas' journal page by page. See if you can find any details about what his father was up to, and what Nicolas wanted to hide." "Where are you going?" "To test a theory. I'll be back. If Dean calls or Adam tell him where we are." Sam was out the door before I replied, "O-okay. I'll just…be here." Sammy was in full geek mode tonight. I chuckled and started reading the journal from the beginning. It wasn't the most scintillating read I had ever tried. The writing style was stilted and Nicolas' command of English was…questionable. Most of the entries pertained to early adolescence, and barely mentioned the father at all. Apparently, Nicolas was closer to his mother. I had daddy issues, too. Like Nicolas, I was closer to my mom. I paused about three quarters of the way through. That's interesting. The father was mentioned much more frequently after Nicolas turned eighteen. So were the father's friends. I started taking notes. Sam returned about an hour later with a stack of copies. I looked up as Sam entered. "Find anything?" "Yeah." Sam looked grim. "A lot. You?" I tapped the journal in my hands. "Nicolas has some choice words for dear old dad starting on page fifty." Sam nodded at the journal. "Starting about 1920, I bet." Before I could ask about that, Sam's cell rang. From the way Sam spoke, it was obviously Dean. "Yeah, second floor. All the way back by the water fountain. Yeah." Dean and Adam arrived about two minutes later, carrying a large rolled up sheet of paper. "Found the blueprints for the Flemings' house." I frowned and checked his watch. It was 12:35. "The…records office was still open?" All brothers paused at that. Dean looked at me like he was crazy. "No. Of course not. What kind of question is that?" Blushing, I scolded myself. "Sorry. Stupid question. I'm just— Forget it." Dean smirked at me, then unrolled the blueprints on the table. I whistled appreciatively. The house was a lot more complex than it looked. There were extra spaces between the rooms, a few sets of stairs that weren't even visible, and what looked like an extremely over designed plumbing system. "This is…" "Wild, right?" Dean filled in. "I joked about Dracula's castle, but I had no idea." Sam spread his notes onto the tabletop. "That fits with everything I dug up. Nicolas' father's name was Gyula Shandor. He was an architect around the turn of the century. Old money, immigrated here from Europe. He designed a lot of buildings back in the 1800s, but almost all of them have been torn down. Too complicated. Maintenance nightmares. All except this house." "The Flemings'," Adam said. "Right. This house was his masterpiece. From what I read, he drove the construction crews crazy, only showed them sections of the plans, never the whole thing. Switched out crews after every section was finished. Real nut job. It was only finished after twenty years. He nearly blew the family fortune doing it." I pointed to the journal. "As far as Nicolas could tell, Shandor and his friends had been designing it since before he was born." "What friends?" Dean asked. Sam pointed to the corner of the blueprint sheet. There was a small symbol, a square and compass together. Dean blinked. "Isn't that the sign of the Freemasons?" "Yeah," Sam confirmed. "Shandor joined up back in Europe, and a lot of the members of his group came over the same year he did. There were about twenty-five of them altogether. All about the same age." Dean considered that. "The Freemasons… Wasn't there a rumor about them worshipping the devil?" "There was. In the late 1890s, a couple of Christian evangelicals accused the Freemasons of worshipping Baphomet, which is another name for Lucifer. But it was exposed as a hoax. A man named Levi drew up a newspaper cartoon to go with the article." Sam produced an old drawing. In it, men in robes carried a throne bearing a goat with human arms, great horns, and black wings. An inverted pentagram was drawn on the goat's head. "That's the Tarot card image of Satan," Dean said, frowning. Sam nodded. "Apparently the accusing newspaper article is the original source of the Tarot image, and Satanists still use it to this day. But the Freemasons proved the whole thing to be false. The evangelicals were lying. That's where it would have ended, except for this." He produced a printout. "Shortly after the hoax was made public, a small group of Freemasons were ostracized from the organization. They fled Europe before anyone could question them. About twenty-six men." "Shandor and his buddies?" Sam nodded. Dean held up the old drawing. "So, you think Shandor's group of Freemasons actually did worship the devil?" Sam flinched. "A splinter sect," I corrected. "And probably not the actual Devil. There are other sources that say Baphomet was just a demon. A powerful one, but not Lucifer himself." I noticed the subtle way Sam cringed when he talked about Lucifer. He covered it well, but it was obvious the mere mention of the name reminded him of things he didn't want to think about. I couldn't blame him, but I could give Sam a moment to regroup. "Nicolas' journal mentioned that his father and his friends were always locking themselves away. Nicolas heard chanting and a lot of Latin being spoken. When they were done, they would all leave, and he'd find candles, leaves, weird-looking oils—" "Summoning rituals," Dean interrupted. "Bastards were summoning the thing." "That would explain that library. Demonology, black magic, astrology. Shandor was neck deep in the stuff," Sam said. He looked slightly more relaxed, scratching idly at the back of his neck. "Okay, so why the house fetish?" Dean muttered, studying the plans while his brothers spoke. "Apparently, he was obsessed," Sam explained. "According to some of the witnesses, Shandor was manic-depressive. He'd be fine one day and almost suicidal the next. Whenever there was a delay on the house, he'd just lose it." Dean took that in. "Fine one day, suicidal the next. That sound familiar?" It didn't take long to click. Adam snapped his fingers. "Ted and Alex Fleming. Annette said they both were acting like that. Obsessing over the renovation." "The spirit haunting that house was never Alex Fleming," Sam cut in, looking at Dean. "I think it was Shandor all along. Annette told you this all started when Alex was working in the basement." "The basement." I frowned, then checked my notes. "Nicolas wrote something… Here it is. One entry, dated December 1929. 'When I arrived downstairs, the others were already dead, but I believe I stopped him in time. May God forgive me. Only three survived.' That's all. Just three lines." "Gyula Shandor disappeared in late 1929. Nobody saw him or his Freemason sect again. The police gave up the search, and Nicolas inherited everything." "You think Nicky killed his dad?" Dean asked incredulously. "Or stopped him." Sam held up his cell. "I sent this drawing to Bobby. According to one of his books, Baphomet is an old demon, and powerful. Bobby said there were stories of him going all the way back to the Crusades. But he can only return to Earth with a massive sacrifice. Forty souls—forty men—and they have to give their souls up willingly." "Well, that explains why it didn't kill Annette or the kid, but why forty?" Adam asked. "Biblical numerology. The Noah's Ark story? It rained for forty days. The number means death," Dean interjected. "Demons really care about that stuff?" I ask. Dean shrugged. "Honestly? Sometimes I think they're just screwing with us." "Anyway," Sam pointed at the journal, "it says 'the others were already dead.' Maybe they were trying to summon this thing and Nicolas prevented them from finishing it." Adam frowned. "If it takes forty sacrifices, and there were only twenty-six men in this cult…." "They'd need more," Dean agreed. "Where'd they find 'em?" Sam sat and pulled the laptop out of his duffel. "Let's find out." It didn't take long to put the pieces together. Sam turned the laptop so we could see. "Missing persons reports. Shandor finished his house in 1925. Between 1928 and 1929, fifteen people went missing in the neighborhoods surrounding this one. None of them turned up again." "Twenty-five and fifteen." Adam nodded. "That would do it." Dean held up his hand. "The police didn't notice all these disappearances in one area?" Sam shrugged. "It was the twenties. Prohibition was on, and there was a big smuggling problem in this area. A lot of the men who disappeared were thought to be rumrunners, and the police just assumed the worst and wrote them off." "All right. These Freemasons all off themselves, but what about the other fifteen? I doubt they'd kill themselves willingly." "They might not have to," I pointed out. "You saw all those black magic tomes. Hex bags, spells, it wouldn't be hard for Shandor to force those men into committing suicide. So long as they chose to die, it probably didn't matter why." "Leaving Shandor." "Probably as the vessel," Sam said. "Most demons need a host when they come topside." There was an awkward pause as we all fell silent. We had experience with the vessel thing, and it wasn't particularly pleasant to think about. Sam with Lucifer, Dean and Adam with Michael, and now me with Lilith. What happens if I said yes to Lilith? No. No, that won't happen. Adam crossed his arms, shaking himself out of his thoughts. His arm wrapped around me and I rest my head on his shoulder. "Well, three of them escaped, thanks to Nicolas, and he killed Shandor, so the demon never got his forty." Dean didn't look pleased. "It's getting close, though." At Adam's perplexed look, he explained. "Alex disturbs Shandor's spirit when he starts re-flooring the basement. Next thing we know, he's killing himself. Ted moves in after everything's settled down, and when he picks up in the parts of the house where his brother left off, suddenly he kills himself. Two men who want to die…two willing sacrifices. Shandor's trying to finish what he started." "That means he only needs one more sacrifice," Adam said. "Then what? The demon gets out of Hell?" Dean looked at Sam, but he didn't seem to be paying attention. Sam was staring at the blueprints of the house. "Sam?" "Maybe it's already out." Adam blinked. "What do you mean?" Sam didn't answer immediately, just stood and stared at the blueprints, turning the paper and cocking his head to the side like he was trying to see something. He picked up the sheet and held it out, backward, to Dean. "Can you…hold this up to the light for me?" He went to pick up a marker from his duffel while Dean held the house plans up at an angle. Sam walked back and stared at the blueprints from the other side, biting his lip for a moment. Then he started drawing on the back with the marker. "Uh, Sam?" Dean tried to see his face around the large sheet. "You're doodling on city property." "Says the guy who robbed the records office," I chided. "Shut up." Sam drew some more, then stepped back, shaking his head. "This is…insane." "What?" Dean asked, peeking over the sheet to see what Sam had drawn. Before he caught a glimpse, Sam grabbed the blueprints and laid them out on the table. He drew X's in the rooms where they had been. "See here? We saw those symbols here and here, and those seams in the ceilings?" Adam stood to look with them. "You mentioned those symbols earlier, why?" Dean glanced up at him. "They're the symbols from a devil's trap. Just by themselves." I thought back. I had learned to draw the traps, but hadn't recognized the symbols out of context. "So, why would Shandor draw them in the house like this? There's no circle, no pentagram…." "Yes, there is," Sam corrected me grimly. He flipped the blueprints over, revealing what he'd drawn. It was a massive devil's trap, running all the way through the house, with separate sections on each floor joining with the ones above and below. "The lines running along the ceiling in every room? I think it was all part of a complicated devil's trap. A physical one. The house itself is a trap." Dean tilted his head, looking at the drawing. "Well, if you're right, it looks like the center is in the basement. Where Shandor was doing his ritual…and where Alex was working when all this started. But why summon this demon if you're just going to trap it?" He didn't get a response. Adam looked up, and Sam was staring at the table, not even blinking. Dean shot Adam a questioning look, then touched Sam's shoulder. "Hey. Sam?" Sam started, glancing at Dean as though he'd forgotten he was there. "Hmm?" "You okay?" Dean asked quietly. From the look on his face, he knew what had happened, but Sam didn't meet his gaze directly. "I'm—I'm fine. Sorry." He splayed his hands helplessly. "Um, I don't know, the uh, disappearances happened over the course of a year. Maybe this cult needed to keep the demon close until they finished all the sacrifices. However it was supposed to work, I think that thing has been down there this whole time, waiting to get out." I frowned to myself. At least that episode had been brief. He looked back at his brothers. "We've got to stop Shandor before he finds another victim." "And before he…" Dean trailed off, staring down at the blueprints again. He reached over and flipped the sheet back to the house plans. "…lets that thing loose." Pointing to the plans, he looked back up. "I think I get it. All those brass pipes and levers. I bet they somehow open the trap, er, the house, to let the demon out." "You mean the whole house would move?" I asked. Sam nodded, following where Dean pointed. "Maybe. The pipes run all through it. That's probably why he didn't let the builders see all the designs. He didn't want them to know how it all worked." Dean started packing their duffels. "Either way, we need to get this thing, tonight. Before it kills anyone else." It was close to two in the morning when we returned to the house. Nicolas Shandor had tried to cover up his father's misdeeds, so it was likely that he had left his father's body in the house. Finding it quickly was the only issue—and they had yet to agree on where to start. I was constantly surprised at how often the brothers argued. The tiniest thing could set them off. It wasn't spiteful—not always, anyway—but it was often loud and occasionally frightening. Sometimes, all it took was a choice between two places. The ride from the library to the house had been interminable. "Study," Dean said with an obstinate shake of his head. "I think he'll be in the basement," Sam stated with conviction. Dean was still shaking his head. "Dean…that seems logical," Adam added somewhat meekly. I knew he didn't like getting between his brothers when they argued. It was a dangerous place to be. "Nicolas killed him there, and I can't really see him dragging his dead father through the house." "Yeah, because that'd be weird, especially after murdering him with your own two hands," Dean scoffed. "The spirit attacked Alex and Ted in the study!" He threw the Impala into Park in front of the house, and jumped out. I followed. "Dean, just because it attacked in the study doesn't mean its remains are in the study." "But they could be," Dean insisted, opening the trunk. Sam blew out a frustrated breath. "Yes. They could be a lot of places." "Which only supports my original point," Dean seethed. "We should split up!" Sam rolled his eyes as he grabbed one of our duffels out of the trunk and yanked it open. "Yeah, because that's a plan that we've never regretted!" "If we hit the study and the basement at the same time, we have a better chance of stopping this thing before it catches on to what we're doing." Dean loaded salt rounds into his shotgun and snapped the chamber closed angrily. "And we have a much better chance of getting cut off from each other when this thing gets mad!" "Damn it, Sam!" "Dean!" God, it's like they're children! "Hey! Guys!" I stepped in, holding my hands up to silence them. "Can we save the energy for the bad guy? Let's just step back and talk about this like rational god damn people." Dean and Sam looked at each other, then went back to packing their gear. "Geez, it was a simple difference of opinion…" "Who died and made her boss?" Dean groused. I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Oh, shut up." I sighed again. He hefted one of the four bags toward Adam. "Here, make yourself useful." Sam frowned as he loaded his shotgun. "We still need to work out a plan of attack here." Dean grimaced, looking as though he'd swallowed some of the salt he was packing into the bags. "I…agree that the basement is the most likely place to start." "Thank you." Sam nodded respectfully. "But—" "Of course…." I sighed. Dean ignored the remark. "Even if you're right—and you might be—I'd still like to dismantle those levers in the study. We don't want this trap opening up on us while we're tied up downstairs. Shandor obviously gets around. If we hit both rooms at once, one of us can keep him occupied while the other trashes the levers, or burns the bones, whichever." Sam stewed over Dean's words for a few moments, then deflated a little. Obviously, he agreed with the logic. "So, who goes to the study while the others dig?" "Me," Dean said, as if it were a foregone conclusion. "Why you?" "'Cause I'm the oldest." Sam snorted. "That's not good enough." "Okay, because I'm the fastest. I can bust the levers then run down to the basement." "You are not the fastest." Sam growled. "I am so." Dean said. "No, you're not!" Sam argued. Dean sighed, squeezing his eyes shut. "Sam." Something in his voice made Sam relent. He stared for a moment, then spoke quietly. "What?" "Look," Dean said with a pained expression. Whatever was coming was likely to be harsh. "I'm not blind, Sammy. I've seen it. You've been going in and out. I get it. I'm no stranger to flashbacks, believe me." And I'm not a stranger to flashbacks, either. Oh god, the abuse, the fire...everything. Sam shrank back a little. I couldn't see all of his face, but he didn't need to in order to know that Sam was likely hurt. Dean saw it, too. "Sammy, I trust you." He glanced at Adam, then at me. "All of you. But if you zone out and Shandor comes after you… It's too dangerous. And Mia's still got training wheels—" "Hey!" I snapped, punching his arm in annoyance. "I've been at this job for six months!" "No offense." I scowled, but held my tongue. My pride wasn't the issue at the moment. Sam glanced at me, eyes looking a bit haunted, but then he looked back to Dean and nodded. "Okay. Adam and Mia cover the basement. You and I will check the study and break the gears, but then you come right down!" Dean smiled faintly. "You're the boss." We each slung one of the heavy bags over our shoulders and moved to the house. After double-checking to make sure no one was watching them, Dean produced Annette's keys from his pocket and unlocked the front door. I heard him laugh softly as the lock clicked open. "What's so funny?" Sam asked grumpily. Dean glanced over his shoulder at them, mirth in his eyes. "I was just thinking. We tried so hard to avoid anything involving angels, demons, and Hell…and look what we walked into…." Sam's grim façade cracked a bit, a smile pulling at his mouth. "Yeah." "This your usual amount of luck?" I asked, shifting the cumbersome leather duffel on my shoulder. Sam looked at me, shrugging. "You get used to it." "Already have." I replied. Dean pushed the heavy door open and ushered us through. We'd left the lights on, so the interior was navigable, yet still encumbered with inky shadows. Sam led the way down the main hall, shotgun at the ready. We reached the stairwell unchallenged, but I still felt uneasy. If Shandor's spirit was as powerful as Dean and Sam thought it was, we might have a fight on our hands. I tried to push those thoughts aside. The brothers had made it out of worse situations, after all. Just focus on the job. Dean stepped away as we hit the stairs. Sam hesitated, and looked like he wanted to argue, but Dean spoke before he could. "I'll be down as soon as I can. If it takes longer than five minutes, I'll call you." Adam nodded. "Don't take too long. I don't want to do all the shoveling." Adam and Sam headed down the stairs. I moved to follow, but Dean caught my elbow, face deadly serious. "Watch their backs." I glanced after Adam and Sam, then met Dean's gaze unflinchingly. He didn't need the instruction for that. "You watch yours." Dean flashed his most roguish grin. "Hey, it's me." He jogged up the steps without another word. I turned and started the descent, catching up to Adam and Sam. The basement hadn't been among my assigned rooms to scan earlier, so its appearance surprised me. Centered directly below the house, the area spanned more than half the length of the floors above. With a few half-walls knocked out, a full freakin' hockey rink wouldn't have been out of the question. Beams and piping along the ceiling ran in several directions, following gaps in the ceiling panels rather than the walls. The result was a crisscrossing mass of wood and metal that would have given any renovator nightmares. Knowing what they did about the devil's trap, it made some sense. If Dean was right, and the house did somehow move, then the ceiling design would fit. The floor was mostly concrete, except for a narrow stretch of timbers along each wall. To me, it looked like a low viewing gallery, built up a few inches from the expanse of concrete. Along the south side, several of the old wood planks had been pried up—probably when Alex Fleming had started working down there. It was that area that Sam pointed his flashlight toward. "Over there. Shandor's body should be nearby if this is where Alex disturbed him." I smirked. "Unless Dean's right about where the remains are." Sam looked at me for a moment, then started moving toward the pile of displaced boards. I followed Adam across the room. Sam dropped his duffel first and reached inside for a carton of salt. "I don't want Shandor coming at us from behind when we start digging. Can you please lay out a salt line, large enough for all of us, please?" Well, at least he used his manners. I pecked Adam on the cheek once before grabbing my own carton of salt, I went to work. Laying out a salt line large enough to encompass us—but still allow us to work—meant thin lines, but it was better than nothing. After a few moments, we had a wide semi-circle around us, with salt along the wall to close them inside it. "The bones should be close-by, if Alex managed to disturbed them," Adam muttered, scanning the floor with his flashlight. "What about the EMF? Would the bones set it off? We could use it like a metal detector." Adam shook his head. "We could try, but I doubt it. Dean's right, that transformer outside screws with all the readings." we searched quietly for a few minutes. The concrete wasn't disturbed, so we focused on the area around and below the wood planks. After several minutes of searching, Sam called out, "Here. I think this is it." I stepped over, having to get down on all fours to see what Adam was illuminating with his light. Underneath a section of planks right at the edge of their salt line was a distinct patch of gravel and small stones that didn't match the dirt nearby. "Looks like Nicolas covered up his work." "Get the crowbars," Sam instructed gently, pocketing his flashlight and retrieving a small work lantern from his duffel. I complied, returning with the tools. We got to work ripping up the flooring. *Dean's point of view* I lined the door and windows of the study with salt before dropping my duffel on the sawhorse. Don't want any old demon worshippers sneaking up on me. I popped off the wood panel that concealed the brass levers, noticing with some trepidation that streams of gooey ectoplasm were still dripping down the walls inside the compartment. Shandor's ghost was still active somewhere in the house. I grabbed a hammer from the nearby workbench. With any luck, I would be done in no time. *Mia's point of view* I grunted as I attempted to pry another board loose. Despite their apparent age, the flooring was well-built, and the wood was still fairly resilient. Adam and Sam groaned as they both popped another free, and carefully lifted it and tossed it into the existing debris pile. We were careful not to break the salt line as we worked. We broke through after several minutes, and Adam traded the crowbar for a shovel. Despite the difference in appearance, the patch of gravel and dirt was packed just as tightly as the rest of the ground. I grabbed my shovel, and Sam grabbed his. Once we broke ground, the digging went quickly. We soon found ourselves in a matching rhythm. With any luck, Dean would be joining us soon. *Dean's POV* "Yeah, working on it, Mia," I said into the phone, prying at the brass fixtures one-handed. "You find the remains yet?" "Maybe. We're digging now. Hurry up and get down here." She said. I snorted. "I'd work faster with two hands, Mimi." Mia grumbled, but ended the call and let me get back to work. The levers were much sturdier than they looked. I had tried prying the handles off, breaking the piping around them, even attacking the hinges, but I couldn't make a dent. The sudden drop in temperature wasn't helping. My fingers were growing numb and fast becoming useless. It was hard for me not to compare the predicament to my own life. I'd tried so hard to keep Sammy out of trouble, fought for so many years, and yet in the end, my little brother had had a promising life ripped from his grasp, the love of his life murdered, and had been set on course to free the Devil himself. Falling into the deepest depths of Hell with Lucifer and an angry archangel was just icing on the hellish cake. Then there was my other little brother, Adam. Poor kid had been a well-adjusted pre-med student, whose only fault was having John Winchester as a father. Adam hadn't had anything to do with hunting—hadn't even known about John's real job or how his parents had met—but that didn't save him when that pair of vengeful ghouls found him and killed his mother. To meet freaking angels and forced to be Michael's vessel, all because I had said no… I knew I was directly responsible for Adam's situation, for the kid falling into Hell with Sam. My fault. My failure. Everything's my fault. I stopped trying to break the levers, stepping back from the wood panels. What was the point anyway? I was failing this very second. I was supposed to be making sure my brothers were safe, that Mia was safe and not cutting anymore, not to become suicidal, making sure she ate enough, making sure she didn't say yes to Lilith, and helped her through her nightmares about me, Adam, Sammy, her mom and her friends dying in every way possible, her nightmares about dying, the horrible, scarring nightmares about her abuse that her father gave to her for many years, and I couldn't even accomplish that… *Mia's POV* "I think we hit dirt." Adam said, huffing and wiping sweat from his head that had formed. "You, Sammy and Dean should have made a bet," I remarked. Adam had been right; the remains were there. Even shoveling together, it took some time to uncover some of the bones, and a few ribs. I was just happy the hard part was almost over. Shandor was right where his son had buried him. A while longer and we were home free. We continued moving dirt out of the way, careful not to move any of the remains. Fortunately, Shandor's clothing was intact, so it was relatively easy to keep the bones together. A little too easy, a bit time consuming, but easy. I glanced around the otherwise empty basement. We were uncovering the remains of a powerful spirit that had killed twice in that very house…and we hadn't seen or heard anything. "How long's it been since Dean checked in?" Adam asked. From the look on his face, perhaps he was feeling the same way as I've been. I checked my watch. "About five minutes, I think. Maybe ten." Not acknowledging, Adam and Sam went back to work, frown lines creasing Sam's forehead. "I guess Shandor found the perfect targets with the Flemings. Alex lost his shirt with the housing bubble, Ted lost his brother…." Adam mentioned, returning to the previous conversation in the hopes of distracting both of them from worry. Sam nodded. "Yeah, I gue—" When he broke off, I glanced up at him. "What?" Pulling out his cell phone, Sam looked at me grimly while he dialed. "I've got a bad feeling…" When the call wasn't answered, Sammy's worry lines deepened. "This is Dean, leave a message." Sam tried the call again, but got no answer. He shook his head, stuffing his phone back into his pocket. "I don't like this." I paused and turned to him. I almost suggested calling again, but Sam was right. Dean wouldn't be ignoring his phone, not in a situation like the one they were in. Me and Adam watched Sam grab one of the shotguns and head for the stairs. "Keep digging, I'll be right back." Sam was already taking the steps two at a time, but called over his shoulder. "Stay inside that salt circle!" I couldn't help but roll my eyes, pausing long enough to give a mock-salute. Sam and Dean could be insufferably bossy sometimes, though I knew they meant well. I went back to digging, casting a wary glance around the room. The sooner the hunt was over, the better I would feel. *Dean's POV* The more I thought about it, the more I realized how badly I'd ruined my relationship with Lisa. However difficult the months after Sam's second death had been, I was building something with her. I had looked at raising Ben as my own, maybe even fixing some of the mistakes I'd made when Sam was that age. It would have been different. I wasn't standing in for John the way he'd been with Sammy. I'd had a job, a permanent address, a life…ironically the one Sam had chased for so long. Looking back, I realized he should have known it was a pipe dream. As soon as Sam and Adam reappeared on my doorstep—Lisa's doorstep—I should have seen the split coming. My brothers, intentionally or not, had brought the hunting world with them, right back to me. Two lives that were incompatible. Lisa's final words were right. I was bad news, and I should never have pretended otherwise. Turning slowly in place, I cast a morose gaze around the study. He was a total failure. At life. At fatherhood. At brotherhood. I couldn't protect Mia. I mean, shes like a sister to me, and I cant protect her. I now completely understand why Mia said cutting is a relief. It's a distraction from all the hurt and the pain. Maybe it would be better if… My eyes landed on the sawhorse Sam had climbed on earlier. Alex and Ted had the right idea. The world had no mercy for losers. That's what I am. A loser. Well, that was one problem I could fix. I walked to the sawhorse and dragged it over in front of the hidden panel. Some of the rope Ted had used to kill himself was still on the floor, more than enough to make another. I tied it quickly and tossed it up over the exposed rafters, tying the loose end around one of the wall beams. Stepping up onto the sawhorse, I reached for the noose. One step and my miserable existence could finally be over. The sound of shouting and a shotgun blast startled me, and I tipped forward as I lost my balance. Sam jogged down the hallway on the second floor and came around the corner just in time to see me pulling the noose toward my head. "Dean!" A shimmering, translucent mist was wrapped around me, flowing out from the hidden compartment in the wall. It became more opaque at the sound of Sam's voice, and I saw a grotesque face forming behind my head. Sam shot forward, bringing his sawed-off up and firing into the space between me and the wall. The salt pellets blasted through the wispy tendrils and a high-pitched wail filled the room. I flinched as the tentacle-like mist suddenly dissipated, glazed eyes shifting in Sam's direction, but the motion pitched me off balance on the narrow sawhorse, and I fell forward, head moving toward the rope noose. Sam kept running, tackling me and reversing my momentum. The sawhorse was caught by one of their feet, and flipped over, sending both of us crashing into the workbench against the wall. Our combined weight splintered the table, and Sam landed on top of me in a mass of dry wood and a cloud of dust. Dazed, Sam retained enough self-awareness to know we were still in danger and struggled to push himself up. My duffel was just a few feet away. Coughing on sawdust, Sam scrambled the distance and snagged a carton of salt from the bag. He slung a haphazard, uneven, but thick half-ring around us. Sloppy as it may have been, Sam finished with seconds to spare. The spirit reformed after his shotgun attack and lunged at him. It stopped in midair when it reached the line of salt, flattening out like an otherworldly mime hitting an invisible wall. Another deafening wail shattered the stillness of the room, the spirit more enraged than before. The spirit pulled back and coalesced into a more recognizable human shape. I saw a distended, skeletal face form in the wispy smoke, with deeply inset eyes glowing yellow as it glared at them. The incoherent wailing slowed and transformed as well. "Fools!" It raged, arms and legs becoming more distinct. It reached out and wrapped a bony hand around the levers in the exposed wall panel. "The master will wait no longer!" With that, Shandor's spirit wrenched the levers down. Metal screeched as corroded gears and joints moved for the first time in decades, and it made me wince. For a moment, everything was still, but then a deep, ominous shudder vibrated through the floor, and dust spilled as the ceiling began to crack. Shandor's form seemed to implode on itself, and it poured back into the wall panel before Sam could bring the shotgun back up. Sam panted, lowering the gun to his lap. I coughed behind me, and my thigh shifted against Sam's hip. "Sammy?" Sam pivoted, shifting to his knees as he reached back and lifted my head out of the rubble of the workbench. "Dean? Are you okay?" I blinked up at him for a moment, then nodded slightly. "It's okay…the table broke my fall." I groaned. *Mia's POV* The first warning I had that something had changed in the room was when his lantern flickered out. Then the walls began to shake, and I knew something was very wrong. Adam dropped the shovel beside the mostly excavated body, and grabbed the shotgun he had propped against the wall to his right. He turned, swinging the weapon up in case he needed to defend himself or me. A shimmering cloud of…something poured out from an overhead vent, and the musty air of the basement suddenly plummeted to freezing temperatures. The glowing cloud took on shape as it barreled across the room, the features of a shriveled man developing as it got closer. Adam lifted the shotgun and fired, dissipating the gaseous intruder just a dozen feet away. An ethereal cry of pain and rage assaulted our ears. My lantern came back to life, but almost immediately dimmed again as the mist reappeared, reforming into a more human shape just a few feet from the edge of our protective salt line. A subhuman growl permeated the air as the humanoid form reached toward him, but stopped as though hitting an invisible wall. I poured a thicker line of salt quickly. Adam cocked the shotgun again and took aim, but he was too close to the line himself, and when the muzzle of his weapon crossed outside the line, the spirit instantly wrapped its bony, gnarled hands around it, ripping it from Adam's grasp and tossing it against the adjoining wall. We were far from disarmed, though. Adam reached behind him under his layered shirts and withdrew the .45 and the solid silver blade his brothers had given him months before. The handgun was loaded with iron rounds that, if I remembered correctly, would work almost as well as salt rounds, but Adam wasn't sanguine on wasting all his bullets on a ghost that moved as fast as this one. We was going to need help. I put another iron round into the chamber, cocked the gun, and shot the spirit in the chest. He disappeared for thirty seconds, but quickly came back. "Nonbeliever!" the spirit howled, pacing back and forth like a hungry lion. It lunged at me every few moments, but slammed ineffectively against the salt line each time. I disregarded my earlier concern and popped another iron round into the spirit's face, exploding its glowing, wispy head, and it reformed slowly. We began salting the rest of the remains. But after a few seconds, the spirits head returned. "Insolent whelps!" Standoff, I thought grimly. Around us the walls were shaking and a loud rumble was coming from above. Dust and debris fell as the ceiling above him began to quake and shift. I sheathed the silver blade and turned to the mostly uncovered bones. Shandor's spirit might be stalking me, but we had the advantage. The salt carton and matches were on our side of the salt line. Keeping an eye on the furious spirit, we began dumping salt over the remains. "No!" Shandor screeched, slamming himself against the barrier between us and him. *Dean's POV* The second floor shifted, causing Sam and I to stumble as we moved for the stairwell. The old house was trembling as though it was going to collapse any second. Wood panels and oak trim splintered and blew away from the wall as the supports beneath lifted and moved. Entire walls slid, casting off antique wood detailing like a dog shaking water from its coat. "Glad to know the engine still works," I muttered darkly, grabbing one stable doorframe for support as another wall shifted unexpectedly. "Why's he opening the trap? He's still one soul short of releasing that thing." "Maybe not," Sam shouted back, keeping pace at my left shoulder as we pushed ahead. My blood ran cold when I realized what Sam meant. The floor in front of them began to rotate, dragging an entire wall with it, and effectively cutting them off from the stairs. And Mia and Adam. I cursed under my breath. "We're gonna have to find another way around, and fast." *Mia's POV* Shandor tried to penetrate the salt line again and again as we finished salting his corpse and went for the accelerant. "No! No!" I tried to keep an eye on the violently thrashing spirit as I worked. I poured more salt onto the bones. Once the bones were gone, the threat should be over. Gigantic devil's trap open or not, with no one to sacrifice the last soul, the demon likely wouldn't appear. "You mustn't!" I coated the remains in as much accelerant I dared, given that I'd be in close proximity when it was lit, and was careful to avoid getting any on myself or Adam or on the floor near me. As I proceeded, I realized that the commotion behind me had suddenly ceased. Turning, we saw that Shandor's ghost had retreated, and was standing—or floating—near the center of the concrete floor area. Its arms reached out, stretching into a crucifixion-like pose as Shandor's voice boomed. "I conjure thee, Baphomet! Per sedem Baldarey et per gratiam et diligentiam tuam babuisti ab eo banc nalatimanamilam!" A quiet part of my mind urged me to finish burning the remains, but I was transfixed for a moment as Shandor's ghost began to grow, spreading out in all directions as he shouted in the ancient language. Adam and I couldn't move. "I command thee, usor, dilapidatore, tentatore, seminatore, soignatore, devoratore, concitore, et seductore! Reward my sacrifice!" Something snapped my brain back to attention, and I spun around, snatching the box of matches from my duffel and striking one as I faced Shandor's remains. The match burst to life, and I flung it down onto the bones. It was too late. Even as the match fell, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Shandor's spirit radiate outward into a cloud of glowing particles, expanding like an explosion in slow motion. The radiant cloud coalesced into a madly swirly vortex. Dark red lines and sigils bubbled up from cracks in the floor, drawn in blood. The remains at my feet caught fire as the whirlwind of particles was sucked downward, disappearing into the concrete floor. All was silent, even the distant groaning of the house above muting as everything in the basement seemed to abruptly stop. The center of the concrete floor exploded. A ball of fire and dirt blasted up, erupting into the basement. The shock wave reached us as we covered our eyes against the flash of light, and seconds before the deafening sound of the Earth cracking open. I was catapulted backward off my feet, and my head collided with something unyielding. As I slid away from consciousness, I was vaguely aware of the air filling with a sulfuric stench, Adam calling my name desperately, screaming I love you, grasping his hand in mine tightly, pulling himself on top of me, one arm wrapping around my back, telling me to curl up into a ball which made me smaller to feel less of whatever is to come as a quick precaution, which I obliged to do, and thats when I felt tears running down my face, giving me a final kiss on the lips, both of us closing our eyes together, and waves of heat replaced the former chill. *Dean's POV* I cursed as the floor shifted beneath my feet again, almost tossing me into a wall. The stairwell was the only nearby part of the house that wasn't moving. It was like one of the fun houses I'd seen as a kid at a County Fair. Our progress down the hallway was hampered by the shifting walls. Shandor had done a brilliant job of designing the monstrous house. Whole walls and ceiling sections were unplugging and moving, leaving only small areas of the floor passable. I imagined that Shandor hadn't counted on anyone being inside the enormous puzzle box when it was activated. As another wall moved and blocked our path, Sam shook his head with a grim frown. "I shouldn't have left them alone." "I can't complain." I smiled sadly. "Come on. Let's try to circle back. Maybe we can get through one of the connecting halls. We'll try Adam and Mia again when we're closer to the stairs." *Adam's POV* I drifted up through a haze of dizziness and pain, opening my eyes slowly. The room around us was lit by a dim, flickering light, and waves of heat buffeted me. My senses came back slowly, and I sluggishly rolled myself over until I found the source of the light: the work lantern Sam had set up, lying on its side against the wall near my feet. It was wavering, like it was struggling to stay on. Like the lantern, the contents of our duffels were strewn all around me. Rolling over seemed to help with my dizziness, but the throbbing in my head got worse. I gingerly ran my hand through my hair. It came back bloody, and there was a very tender knot on the back of my head. I blinked the pain and the dizziness put of my eyes as I looked over to the right. Mia was there, and she wasn't moving. My eyes snapped open at the sight of her. I crawled over to her and felt for a pulse. My heart skipped a beat when there was one, but faintly. "Mia, Mia wake up." I croaked. "Mia, Mia come on, wake up." No response. "Mia!" I felt tears prick my eyes, and I hold her close. I should have done more to protect her. The movement of the wall behind me caught my attention. It was shifting slowly, grinding along the floor as it migrated across the room. I stared at it a moment, noting that another room that we hadn't seen earlier was revealed beyond. What the hell happened? I scanned the room, eyes coming to rest on a hole in the center of the floor. The concrete was cracked, large fissures radiating out toward the walls. Smoke wafted slowly up out of the hole, illuminated from below by a dim orangish glow. I could hear huffing, like a large animal panting. Shandor's ghost. The memory came back to me. The spirit we'd been hunting had sacrificed itself. The last of forty sacrifices. "Oh, shit." I spoke softly to myself, more concerned with Mia and my throbbing head than anyone—anything—overhearing. I forced myself up to my knees and searched frantically for the salt carton I'd used earlier. The carton was overturned a few feet away, some of its contents spilled in a large pile the size of two or three dinner plates. Frantically, I crawled over and scooped the crystals into my hands, spreading them slowly around us to recreate the supernatural barrier. Whatever Shandor had released, I didn't want to get that intimate with it. One trip to Hell was enough. Scattering the salt by hand was haphazard, the line seriously zigzagging whenever the room decided to spin, but I managed to close myself into the corner, my back against the crawling wall behind me, putting a protective arm around Mia, trying to shield her. It might buy me some time to get help. I completed the work just in time. A huge, clawed hand reached over the lip of the hole and pulled. An instant later, the demon rose up into the room. Its skin was black and oily, glistening in the flickering light of the lantern and the glow of hellfire from below. The beast had the head of a goat, hairless, but crowned with three great, curved horns and pointed, as sharp and long as a chef's knife, laid-back ears, and an inverted pentagram carved into its forehead. A thick, horse-like neck connected the ponderous head to a muscular humanoid body. Four powerful arms swiveled out from its multi-jointed shoulders, with large five-fingered hands. Each long finger ended in a razor sharp claw. Legs as thick as tree trunks supported the creature's weight on cloven-hoofed feet. Standing seven feet—eight or nine with its horns—it was simply one of the most ferocious things I had ever seen. And I'd seen Lucifer and Michael in their natural forms. Staring at it as it struggled onto its feet, I shook my head in near-disbelief. "You are one ugly motherfuc—" The demon pitched its head back and roared, the throaty sound vibrating the floor and my bones. It didn't do anything for my headache, either. I had to protect Mia. I flipped over, shielding her from the thing. I scrambled back against the shifting wall, willing it to move slower so the salt line wouldn't be outflanked. I dug my cellphone out of my pocket and dialed Dean's number, the first on the list. Dean answered quickly. "Adam? Are you okay?" "Um…." The demon took a halting step forward, obviously testing its limbs. "Not really." "Shandor is headed your way! If—" "Been here already," I interrupted quickly. "He sacrificed himself, I think. Brought the demon up." "You mean—?" "Yeah. It's here." The demon's dead, shark-like eyes fixed on me, watching my every move. "It's looking at me. Mia is knocked out. She's knocked out. I'm protecting her the best I can." I heard Sam's voice in the background. "That's not good." I rolled my eyes. "You're telling me, Stanford." "We've reached the stairs. We're on our way down. The house is going crazy up here," Dean said, his voice crackling through the speaker as the signal fluctuated. "Is it half as ugly as that picture Sam dug up?" The demon lowered itself onto its front arms and began stalking toward my corner, a deep, angry growl resonating from its throat. I swallowed thickly and spoke softer. "I think it can hear you, Dean." Dean's voice changed; he was talking away from the phone. "I thought you said it would need a human host." "I said most of them do, Dean!" Sam replied angrily. "This is no time to nitpick!" "Adam, can you get out of there?" I glanced around. The demon blocked my view of the stairs leading back into the house. Behind me, the wall had slid enough to reveal more of the hidden room. I flailed to find my flashlight and shone it through the opening. The room beyond was empty, but another set of stairs leading up could be seen through a narrow door in the farthest wall. "I think so. There's more stairs behind a wall." "Take 'em," Dean ordered. "See if we can meet up on the first floor. Take Mia up with you." "No shit Sherlock!" I replied angrily. I closed the phone and retrieved my handgun, which fortunately had landed near me. The demon was moving haltingly toward me, still. It seemed to sense the salt barrier between us, and was shuffling left and right, looking for a path of attack. He didn't give it a chance. The wall had moved enough so I could squeeze through the opening. So long as I didn't breathe. I picked Mia up. The demon clearly realized what I was doing, because it angled itself closer to the wall, trying to reach across the salt line. It howled when its hands were repelled. It took several long, uncomfortable seconds, but I managed to squeeze through the slender gap, with the three bags of tools in my hands, slung around my arm, Mia still safely in my arms, and enter the hidden room. It was only fifteen or twenty feet across, small next to the basement. There were some boxes and storage cabinets in the room, but they were open and obviously empty. Whatever Shandor or his cult had kept in there, it was long gone. On the other side of the wall, the demon bellowed angrily. I bolted for the almost-hidden stairs, pausing only to check the chamber on my gun. My head pounded with each hurried step, but I pressed forward; I'd pass out later. I had to get Mia to safety. When I was within arm's reach of the doorway, I heard the thump-thump-thump-thump of heavy feet behind me. An instant later, the demon exploded out of the wall, horns first. Its bulk demolished the wood, sending splinters and fragments hurtling across the room. The metal framework continued moving, slightly faster now that its wood covering was removed. Baphomet cast an angry glance around, then spotted me near the stairs. It charged, roaring and bearing a set of long fangs from its drooling mouth. I spun and ran backward, firing my .45 eleven times as I retreated. All bullets planted themselves in the creature's head and neck. Baphomet stumbled, shaking its massive head as though I had dazed it, but didn't seem too injured. I turned back and bolted through the stairwell door, smirking to myself. Eleven hits out of eleven. "God, I'll never complain about training again!" Halfway up the stairs, I heard the demon ram the narrow doorway and stop, pounding on the walls in blunted fury. *Dean's POV* Sam found a relatively stable area near the den where they could regroup. He had my duffel bag on the floor, rummaging for weapons we could use against the demon. We'd come in fully loaded, just in case, but some of our tools were split between the four bags, and three of them were downstairs with the demon, Adam and an unresponsive Mia. "How long do you figure we have until the trap is completely open?" I asked, eyeing the still-moving ceiling panels. The walls on the first floor had stabilized, finally, only a few segments were still shifting into position. The floor was littered with shattered glass and toppled furnishings where the walls had shifted away from their regular locations. "Don't know." Sam shook his head, glancing up at me from where he worked. "I'd say we have some time. The design is amazing, but it's old and probably corroded. The fact that it's moving at all is a miracle." "Or a curse," I added. "Funny how close those two usually are, eh?" Sam went back to organizing. "We've got two shotguns and plenty of salt rounds. We know plenty of exorcisms by heart, but all the holy water is in the other bags, and we're two people short." "Not anymore," Adam's voice called from behind them. I was making his way up the hall toward them, having to climb over a few upended cabinets and bookshelves, Mia and the three duffel bags still in his arms. I smiled at the younger man. "Adam, thank God." I frowned as the blond hunter got to us, and Sam gently took Mia from his arms. "Hey, what's this?" I reached out and touched the base of my brother's skull, finding still damp blood. "Are you all right?" Sam turned, taking in Adam's bedraggled appearance. Adam winced when I probed the back of his head. "Had a rough encounter with a wall when Shandor released the demon. I tried to protect Mia. Would worry about myself later, if we made it out alive." Sam and I both winced. I held up a hand with three fingers extended. "How many fingers do you see?" Adam frowned, then shot me an apologetic look. "Will you be mad if I say eight?" I scowled. "Damn it. You've got a concussion. Sit down here." I guided Adam to the floor beside them. "You get a good look at the thing?" "Does it look like the pictures?" Sam asked, stepping over to me and I gently took Mia from his arms. He then went over to check Adam's injury himself. The wound wasn't bad, but it was swollen and probably hurt like a bitch. "Well," Adam took a few deep breaths, "it sorta looks like a goat. Though it makes you look really short." "Yikes," I murmured. "Did it attack you at all?" "It came after me when I ran, carrying an unresponsive Mia with me. I burned eleven iron rounds into his head, but all that did was slow it down. Oh and it looked like The beast had the head of a goat, hairless, but crowned with three great, curved horns and pointed, as sharp and long as a chef's knife, laid-back ears, and an inverted pentagram carved into its forehead. There was a thick, horse-like neck connected the ponderous head to a muscular humanoid body. Four powerful arms swiveled out from its multi-jointed shoulders, with large five-fingered hands. Each long finger ended in a razor sharp claw. It's legs were as thick as tree trunks supported the creature's weight on cloven-hoofed feet. Standing seven feet—eight or nine with its horns." Sam looked at me in alarm. "We've got to stop it before the trap opens all the way. If that thing gets out—" "It'll probably eat the neighbors. And us!" I agreed bleakly. I bit my lip, thinking. Sam handed Adam a cloth to press against the lump on his head. I began to nod. I could tell Sam knew that meant I had a plan. 'We're doomed.' I could hear him think. "All right. Do we have any spray paint?" I asked. Sam pointed at the bags in Adam's hands. "In the other bags." "That…actually works. Okay. I think I know how to handle this. We need to set a trap, and then lead this demon into it." Sam frowned and probably forced himself not to inquire about my mental health. "And try not to get killed in the process. How are we going to get down there without it attacking us?" "Leave that to me." I grinned, and then Sam knew we were in trouble. "What can I do?" Adam asked, pushing himself to his feet with some effort. At that, I frowned. "Find your way outside and get to the car, and take Mia with you. You're in no condition to fight this thing." "I'm not leaving you guys in here alone," Adam countered stubbornly. Sam nodded sagely. "He's your brother, all right, Dean." I glared at him. "Yeah, he shows a little attitude and suddenly he's my brother." Adam wasn't amused. "I'm not leaving." "How can you shoot this thing when you're seeing double?" Sam asked, trying to be reasonable. "It'll be harder to miss that way." I sighed, relenting. "Fine. But first, your going to put Mia in the Impala and lock the doors. Then come back. You're sticking with me. Don't wander off." After Mia was safely in the Impala, Sam reached down and grabbed a shotgun. "What do you have in mind?" The farther down the stairs I got, the dumber my plan started sounding. I could already hear the demon growling and snarling somewhere below me. I had determined from the house plans that the stairwell ran up near the center of the elaborate trap. The demon would be able to move up or down the stairs, but not out into the house. At least for a while. The house was still moving. We laid more salt at the entrances to the first and second floors, just in case. At Adam's suggestion, we poured the salt along the walls as well as the doors, to make sure the thing didn't just bust through them. We found plenty of table salt in the kitchen, and we made thicker lines with the salt, just in case. I reached the basement and slowed, bending to see beyond the entranceway. The demon seemed to be out of sight, behind the stairs. Probably in the other room where Adam had escaped. Raising my shotgun, I crept to the bottom of the steps and scanned the dark room. Light from their lantern still flickered, casting long shadows across the open space. I couldn't see anything, and even the demon's heavy breathing had stopped. I heard the movement to my immediate right before I saw the clawed hand swooping down. Reflexively, I dove forward and rolled across the cool concrete. I came up and turned. The demon was right by the stairs, its clawed hand shredding the drywall to the left of where my face had been seconds earlier. I came up firing, sending two blasts of rock salt into the demon's torso. It stumbled back, clutching at its chest, and shrieked. At least rock salt hurts it, I thought. I wasted no time bolting back up the stairs, reloading my shotgun without looking down. The demon recovered and lunged around the corner of the stairwell, swiping at my ankles with two of its arms. I felt the denim of my jeans split at the left ankle. Too close. I turned when I reached the top of the first flight, putting two more shells into my pursuer. The demon was infuriated. It gave chase, its cloven feet clicking against the stairs. I didn't wait, just turned and took the steps two at a time, Baphomet close on my tail. *Sam's POV* I peeked around the corner. The basement was empty. Dean's distraction had worked; the demon was racing up the main stairwell. Silently, I slipped out of the narrow secret staircase into the hidden room. Adam had been right: the demon had made short work of the moving wall. Debris was everywhere. Long claw marks marred the walls and floor where the creature had tried unsuccessfully to get out. I moved quickly over to where our duffel bags rested. Our supplies were scattered, but I found the spray paint cans easily enough. The hole where the demon had emerged was large but clean. Most of the debris and dislodged stone had landed farther out, along the walls. There was plenty of space to draw a new devil's trap around its resting place. Gunfire sounded in the house above me. I took a deep breath and went to work as quietly and quickly as I could. *Dean's POV* There were different kinds of demons. Some were the smoky, gaseous kind hunters dealt with all the time, while others were corporeal. Some were smart, some were dumb. Some remembered being human, and were thus more sympathetic…some were just pure evil. But the one thing they all shared in common was a massive ego. So, when I got the jump on Baphomet and injured it, however mildly, it was more or less a sure bet it wouldn't give up until it was feasting on my sweet hide. It was unclear yet if Baphomet fell into the smart or the dumb category, but either way, it didn't disappoint. It followed me doggedly, even though it was somewhat slowed by the congested stairwell. I swung past the first floor landing, not stopping or looking back. I kept running, bounding toward the second floor as quickly as I could. The demon was only seconds behind me. It passed the doorway to the first floor with barely a glance. When I reached the second floor, I crossed through the doorway into the devastated hallway outside the study and stopped. We'd done better than just line the wall. The entire landing was covered in scattered salt pellets. The demon could go no further. Baphomet seemed to sense the problem, careening to a stop just a few steps short of the landing. In its haste, it ended up on all fours—or, sixes—just one step away from where I was waiting for it. "Wrong turn, fugly." I fired my shotgun with both barrels, point blank. The blast struck the demon in the head and chest with enough force to knock it backward. It tumbled down the steps, landing in a heap on the flight below, howling in pain. I reloaded my weapon, stepping out onto the landing to get a clear shot. From below, the demon screeched as more bullets pelted it from below. Adam was on the first floor, hammering away with iron rounds from his reloaded .45. I jogged down closer as the demon tried to recover and put two more blasts into its midsection. It fell, rolling partway down the next flight of steps, in Adam's direction. "Adam! Stay behind that salt line!" I warned from above. "Not a problem," Adam called back. The kid might need medical attention before the night was over, and the same thing with Mia. They both were troopers for making it this far, even though Mia got knocked out unceremoniously. I followed the slowly retreating demon down. It stopped at the first floor landing, swiping the doorway and trying in vain to get at Adam. From my position above, I saw Adam sitting back against the wall in the first floor hallway, reloading his handgun and firing again. I followed the slowly retreating demon down. It stopped at the first floor landing, swiping the doorway and trying in vain to get at Adam. From my position above, I saw Adam sitting back against the wall in the first floor hallway, reloading his handgun and firing again. I was beginning to think Baphomet belonged in the dumb category. So far it was only reacting to them, not using any strategy. That was fine by me; I would be happy to send it packing with a minimum of trouble. Baphomet tried again, fruitlessly, to breach the doorway where Adam was, but it couldn't. I reloaded and moved closer. Suddenly, the demon stopped, and stood taller on its legs. It sniffed the air around it, snorting like a bull. I fired, but abruptly, the demon turned and bolted down the steps. The shotgun shells went wide, missing completely. I met Adam at the door and we headed down the stairs, quickly but cautiously. Come on, Sammy, be ready! *Sam's POV* I worked as fast as I could. The trap had to be large enough to cover the floor around the hole. We wanted to get the demon as close to where it had emerged as possible so it would still be within the large confines of Shandor's original trap. I sprayed the next section. We only had red paint, and in the gloomy basement, with only the flickering lantern, the reddish tint almost blended in with the gray concrete. So long as the demon had eyesight similar to a human, they'd be fine. I had only one pie-shaped wedge left in the circular trap. The quick-setting paint meant that seven-eighths of the circle was already dry. I shifted place over toward the stairs and bent to fill in the remaining section. As I held the can out to draw the final set of sigils, I froze. My mind drew a total blank. I looked over at the sigils to my right, from where I'd just come, then at the ones to my left, but… Sounds like that of an avalanche of wood pierced the quiet room. I turned, surprised, only to be caught directly in line with Baphomet as it charged back into the basement. I felt one huge hand close around his throat, and then I was lifted into the air and across the room. Moments later, I was slammed back-first into a wall with crushing force. Agony lanced through my chest and side as I found myself face to face with the massive demon. Its eyes changed from oily black to glowing red as it leaned in, sniffing me like a wild animal. The glowing orbs seemed to pierce into my mind. The pressure on my throat tightened, cutting off my air. "I smell the Morning Star…" a deep, gravelly voice echoed in my brain as I struggled for air. "But he is not free… What have you done, subcreature?" Was it reading my mind? Could it actually smell Lucifer on me? I gasped for air, clawing at the demon's immense hand. The thought made me feel sick. I had enough trouble living with I possession by Lucifer; I didn't want to have to explain the whole screwed up mess to a berserk demon. The demon's two rear arms raised above me, razor-sharp talons extending from the large fingers. They appeared thick enough to tear me in two. *Dean's POV* I arrived in the basement in time to see Sam get rammed into the far wall. I glanced over the floor quickly, noticing immediately that the trap wasn't complete. "Damn it!" I advanced into the room. Adam was right behind me. I pointed at the dropped paint can. "Finish that, now!" Adam didn't argue, diving for the can and hurriedly checking to see which sigils were left to do. He was already painting when I crossed over into the trap myself. The demon was just on the other side, mere feet outside the circle. "Hey!" I shouted, drawing Ruby's demon-killing knife from its sheath. He'd held it in reserve, not knowing if Baphomet would be vulnerable to it. Not all demons were. The creature didn't turn, just continued trying to twist Sam's head off. I pivoted and flung the knife, then brought his gun up. The knife imbedded itself in the demon's back. It screamed, twisting around to see what had hurt it. Noticing me, it released Sam and spun toward him, advancing angrily. Six more shotgun blasts barely slowed it down. Falling back, I crossed the trap, coming out at Adam's side as the he discarded the paint can and fired the .45 at the onrushing beast. It slammed to a halt barely two feet from where Adam kneeled on the floor. The trap was complete. Baphomet was enraged. It raised all four arms and lunged forward, but literally bounced off the mystical barrier between them. With Sam on all fours and coughing, I took up the next task himself. I began an exorcism—the only one I'd memorized, no point in taking away Sam's job—while Adam moved to retrieve his own shotgun from the other side of the room. "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursion infernalis adversarii, omnis legio…" The demon roared, trying again to attack me, but it was no use. I stepped back a few feet anyway, just in case. "Omnis congregatio et secta diabolica. Ergo draco maledicte…" When Adam returned, the demon turned on him, trying vainly to get out of the trap. When it began sniffing at the recently painted section, Adam intervened. He fired five salt rounds into the demon's upper body. It screeched and stumbled back toward the center of the trap and the hole where it had emerged. I paused the recitation long enough to add my own firepower to the attack. His shotgun blast pushed the demon farther back, and it staggered, collapsing halfway into the opening. "Terribilis Deus de sanctuario suo. Deus Israhel ipse truderit virtutem et fortitudinem plebi Suae. Benedictus deus. Gloria patri!" With a final, impotent cry, Baphomet fell backward. It never landed. In mid-air, the beast's body erupted in flames, disappearing in an instant in a burst of light and smoke. All that was left was a thin powdering of sulfur on the concrete floor and Ruby's knife. As soon as the fireworks stopped, an eerie quiet descended over the room. The overturned lantern in the corner finally stopped flickering, and cast a brighter glow over them. I turned to Adam, who was standing a few feet to his right. "You okay?" He nodded slowly, though he was sweating. "I was really dizzy, but I'm feeling better now. I need to get to Mia. I haveta see if she's okay." I smirked. "That's the adrenaline. It'll wear off and that headache will be back in force. Why don't you sit down while I check on Sammy? And Mia is safe, in the car." Adam nodded and all but collapsed onto the dusty floor. "Sound medical advice." Trotting across the trap, keeping my shotgun ready just in case, I moved to kneel beside my other abused brother. "Sammy? You with us?" Sam clutched at his neck, but looked up and nodded. His voice was hoarse. "'M alive." I clapped Sam on the shoulder, casting a relieved glance across to Adam, who was sinking closer to the floor as the adrenal high wore off. "Well…that wasn't so hard, now was it?" If Sam could have managed it, I was sure he would have groaned as loud as Adam. I sat beside Adam at the table, Mia was finally awake, and Adam was happily kissing her everywhere on her face. The diner looked old-fashioned, but apparently it was just a style choice, judging by the menus and choices. He nudged the younger man. "Don't forget to get more ice. That one's mostly water." "Trust me," Adam answered distractedly, holding the bag against the large lump on the back of his head. "I won't forget." We had stopped for some food a few miles away from the Flemings' place, on the way to the motel. I needed to call Bobby anyway, and they all could use some fuel. "Long night" didn't begin to describe it. I glanced over his shoulder. Sam had been lingering by the Impala, ostensibly putting away the first-aid kit where we'd patched each other up earlier. Now I was sitting on the hood, staring up into the night sky, looking about as alone as someone could look. Exiting into the cool night air, I headed for the car, scanning our surroundings. The all-night diner's parking lot was all but empty, a few semis parked near the road. The first hint of dawn was visible through the trees to the East. I circled around to the nose of the Impala and slid into place next to Sam. Reaching over, I gently poked Sam in the side. Sam winced, grunting softly. I nodded authoritatively. "Yeah, pretty sure those ribs are cracked. We can stop by an ER if you want." "I've had worse," Sam whispered hoarsely. His neck was bruised badly, but there didn't seem to be any internal damage. "I talked to Bobby," I said, changing the subject. "He called Joshua and Jefferson, and they know a work crew that owes them a favor. They're going to re-floor that basement, build in another devil's trap on top of ours and fill in the whole room. Just to be sure." The house was a wreck. They'd reversed the levers, once the demon was finally exorcised, but the damage inside had been done. Whole walls had split open, and much of the renovation work the Flemings had done was obliterated. It was unclear if Shandor's psychotic cult had merely summoned the demon or actually built some sort of Hell Gate, but Bobby was on it. He'd make sure the place was secure before the work crew finished. "I talked to Annette, too. Explained it all as best I could. She's going to wait until they're done, then sell the place and move back to New York." Sam nodded slightly. "Good." We sat silently for a few minutes, Sam staring blankly at the stars, I was trying to think of something to start the conversation he knew we had to have. It wasn't unlike a hundred other times we'd sat on the hood of the Impala, except this time, I wanted to say something and didn't know how. Adam's words echoed in my head. 'If you open up, he might.' Rolling the thought over in my head, it came to him. I pulled out my cell, opened his drafts, and pulled up the text I'd been delaying for weeks. I held it out to Sam, who took it after a surprised moment. "What is it?" I shrugged. "It's a text I keep meaning to send to Lisa…but I never do. I guess…I guess I don't want to know what she'd say back. I haven't seen her in a year." Sam stared at the message for a long while, then handed it back. "You could patch things up, you know. I think she'd listen." "Maybe." We sat in silence a while longer before Sam spoke again. "I, uh…I zoned out. In the basement, I just— I've drawn a devil's trap a thousand times and I just…I got to the last part and drew a blank. It's been happening a lot lately." I sat quietly, turning his head to Sam but not making eye contact, afraid I might frighten him off. "Sometimes…it's hard to remember that I got out," Sam said darkly. "I can still feel…things they did. You know?" "Believe me," I said earnestly, "I do." Even from the corner of my eye, I could see the miserable look on Sam's face. "I could have gotten you, Mia and Adam killed tonight." I finally looked over, trying to keep my expression open. "We…we all went into this with a lot of baggage. I know I did. You did. Adam did, and Mia did, and still is. With her constant nightmares. We could have gotten each other…" Sam shifted, visibly uncomfortable. "Dean, you—you said that if I wanted to talk…" "Yeah," I answered simply. Sam paused, the reluctance showing on his face. "That demon…it said— It said it could smell Lucifer on me." I grimaced. "Really?" "That's what it said. I guess that's why it came after me." "Hmm." I blinked, soaking that up. "We better buy some Febreeze." Sam glared for a moment, before getting the joke, then punched him in the arm. I wanted to make it easy on him. "Sammy…listen, this, all of this, it's more than a five minute conversation, you know? Addie's gonna be on concussion watch for the next few hours, at least, while looking out for Mia." Sam smiled faintly. "Yeah. I'm really glad they found each other. Adam hasn't looked this happy in his life since he joined the job. I'm really happy for him. And Mia...Wow. She has really improved. I can see more life in her eyes. She hasn't cut in, what? Four or five months now?" "Yup." I nodded, a smile on my face. "So, saving people and hunting things must be like her therapy. A way of her own relief, besides cutting. I'm glad she's getting better. I don't see as much brokenness and sadness in her eyes like I did when we first met her." I smiled and nodded again. "So, I was thinkin'," I continued. "Maybe we'll fall off the radar for a while. You know? Clear our heads. Show the kid the Grand Canyon. Spend a few months in Baja. Tijuana, man." I let the idea hang in the air a moment, silently hoping Sam would take it. I was almost surprised when my brother did. "A few months, huh?" Sam nodded thoughtfully. "Clear our heads. Yeah, I like that idea." He turned slightly, looking over his shoulder into the diner. "I don't know about Baja, though, Dean. Looks like you have competition now." I followed his gaze. Inside, the Mia had settled in front of Adam, resting on her elbows while he animatedly spoke, pointing occasionally to the back of his head. I wondered which heroic tale Adam was spinning for her about himself. Although, Mia must know what he did to protect her, because she smiled, grabbed his shirt, wrapped her arms around his neck and brought their lips together. Me and Sam share a smile, and chuckle. "Kid's got the knack. It must be hereditary." I grinned, then looked at Sam. "Well, obviously it skipped a generation with you, but still." Sam elbowed me in the ribs. "I don't think the world is ready for two Deans." I faked a grimace. "One Dean. At best, he's Dean-like, thank you very much." "I dunno…he might be gaining on you, what with Mia." Sam said, barely hiding his smirk. I sighed. It was going to be a long ride to Baja. *Granada Hills, California* "Just one more," Stephie Gavilan gritted out between panting breaths. "You can do it." She was on the last lap of her five-mile run and was almost out of steam, but this year was going to be different. Stephie had always talked about running the L.A. Marathon, but for the past four years had dropped out at the last minute. There were always excuses—work, emergencies, allergies—but that's all they were: excuses. This year's going to be different. Stephine turned the corner along the road that looped around the southeast corner of O'Melveny Park, and started her southbound lap. It was already after sunset, but it was still light enough for her to find her car. The air was warm but not too humid, and a breeze was blowing in from the ocean, perfect running weather in Stephie's opinion. She raised her left arm to get a look at her watch, but did a double take when she saw movement along the tree line near the road. There were five men standing just a few dozen feet from where she was running…just standing there, looking in her direction. An uncomfortable chill of fear gripped Stephie when she realized the men were watching her. With growing alarm, she put on some more speed, her earlier exhaustion forgotten. It was getting darker, and she certainly didn't want to be confronted by five strangers in the middle of the park. The sound of her footfalls pounding the pavement and her heavy breathing filled her ears as her run became a sprint. Stephie wasn't sure why she was suddenly so afraid, but something was wrong. She could sense it. Her car was parked at the far end of the road, beneath a street light. It seemed impossibly far away, even though she was moving quickly and was fast approaching it. Stephie risked a glance over her shoulder. The five men were standing in the road now, facing her from a mere hundred feet away. How had they gotten so close? A surge of adrenaline pushed her faster, and she bolted for the parked car, now just yards away. She practically collided with the driver's side door as she careened to a stop and fished frantically for her keys. The sound of heavy—unusually heavy, part of her realized—footsteps from behind caused her to freeze. Her fingers slid around the cool cylinder of pepper spray attached to her keychain. Pulling the cylinder into her hand, Stephie turned to face her potential attackers. With luck, the pepper spray would buy her a few seconds to get into her car and escape. As the footsteps stopped, she spun on her heel, bringing the mace up. She barely had time to scream as flames engulfed her. *Sioux Falls, South Dakota The Next Day, Bobby's POV* Some days, I couldn't believe the Apocalypse was over. Sure, I remembered that it had been averted, four years ago; I'd been there for most of the confrontation between Dean, Michael and Lucifer. It was just that some days, it seemed too good to be true. And then there were days like this one. "You gonna sit on your ass all day, Singer?" I sighed heavily, lowering my newspaper long enough to glare across the study at Rufus Turner, who was arching an annoyed eyebrow from my wheelchair near the phone bank. I tried not to get too irritated with the other hunter, who had, after all, broken his leg helping me wiggle out of his deal with Crowley. I owed him—again. But, had I known that Rufus would spend his recovery under my roof…well, Hell was starting to sound like the lesser evil. Nonetheless, I did owe the man, so I didn't say that out loud. "No. I'm not." "Looks like you are," Rufus persisted. "This is why you're getting fat, old man." I slammed the paper down on my lap and pinched the bridge of my nose. "Rufus, this is the first day in a month that those phones aren't ringing. It's the first week in six months that I haven't been involved in a hunt. All I want is to sit here, read the paper, drink some coffee and relax." The dark-skinned man held up his hands in surrender. "Hey, fine. You want to sit around and grow old, don't let me stop you." "Thank you," I snarled back, lifting the newspaper. Just as I resumed the article about Sheriff Mills' big drug bust, one of the phones rang. I groaned, letting my head drop against the chair back. "Balls." I moved to get up, but Rufus waved him back. "Oh, no. Allow me, Bobby. This is your day off." I considered getting up just to spite the man, but Rufus was already lifting the receiver on the yellow phone, which Dean Winchester had snarkily labeled "Hunter's Help Desk" a few months back when he and Sam had color coded and labeled all six phones. "Y'hello?" Rufus answered with uncharacteristic cheerfulness. "Who? Arthur Kandinsky? Wait, Arthur Kandinsky from Phoenix? You're still alive?" Rufus looked up at me. "Hey, Bobby, it's Arthur Kandinsky." "He's still alive?" I asked, standing and moving into the study. "I can't believe it." Rufus hit the speakerphone button and placed the phone on the table so I could join the conversation. "You know I can hear you guys, right?" Kandinsky asked. "Hearing was never your problem, Arthur, it was listening," Rufus replied with a snort. "His eyesight was never that great, either," I added. "I misread one ammonia bottle and you two hold it over my head for the rest of my life." "Yeah, you misread a bottle, and I got my eyebrows singed off," I griped. Rufus nodded sagely. "Which leads us back to: 'my God, Arthur, you're still alive!'" "As fun as the trip down memory lane with you two old guys has been," Arthur grumbled, "I actually called for a reason." I frowned at the jibe, but didn't retort. "What do you need?" "I got a case I think should be looked into." "So?" Rufus interrupted. "Look into it." "I can't, that's why I'm calling you!" Kandinsky snapped angrily. "Jesus! I don't know why I even—" "All right, all right, Arthur. Calm down." I cut off the indignant tirade. Arthur was a fellow hunter, even if he was a clumsy idiot. I lifted the phone receiver before Rufus could say whatever was clearly about to come out of his mouth. "What d'ya got?" "Over the past month, three people have been found dead in northern Los Angeles. The bodies were torn apart, eaten. For the moment, they've all been written off as wild animal attacks, a pack of coyotes supposedly." I frowned. "In an urban area? Any witnesses?" "Not a one. But that's not the weirdest part, either. I have a friend in the coroner's office, and he said that a few of the…parts, I guess, were roasted, like someone took a flame thrower to them. I don't know of any coyote that can do that, outside of cartoons." "Mmm." I nodded, realizing belatedly that Kandinsky couldn't see him. "Well, okay. That definitely sounds like a case, but why can't you look into it?" Kandinsky hesitated. "I, um…well, I sorta can't enter the state of California right now. For a while, at least.." Bobby's face fell. "And why not?" "I'm wanted for a few things. Minor legal stuff." "Such as…?" "Um, well, gun-running…fraud…kidnapping—" I rolled my eyes. "Oh, for Heaven's—" "—and murder." "Murder?!" "It wasn't my fault! I was hunting a shapeshifter in Riverside County…and it was mimicking the sheriff when I caught up with it…and I sorta, kinda, got caught on video putting it down." I snorted. "I honestly don't know how you're still alive, Arthur, let alone walking around free." Before the forlorn hunter could reply, I continued, "Look, Rufus and I will see what we can do. I'll be in touch." Rufus was smirking at him when I hung up the receiver. "Murder, huh?" "Believe it or not," I said, shaking my head. "He said there are three people dead in L.A., roasted and torn to bits all in the last few weeks. Locals are calling it an animal attack." "Heard that one before," Rufus replied, shifting uncomfortably in his wheelchair. "So, when are we leaving?" "We?" Rufus blinked at him. "Isn't that why Arthur called?" "We aren't going anywhere. You're in no condition to take on some monster, and I'm not gonna leave you here all by yourself." Rufus sat up straighter. "I don't need you nursemaiding me, Singer." I looked at him askance. That was definitely not true. Rufus had faceplanted more than once trying to get up and down the stairs to the bedrooms. His leg was no where close to being healed, though I suspected that was the last thing Rufus wanted to hear. "Who's talking about a nursemaid? I just don't want to leave you here breakin' all my stuff!" Rufus harrumphed but didn't argue. "So? What are you gonna do?" "I guess I'm gonna find another hunter near the West coast to check out Arthur's story." "Who?" Rufus exclaimed. "Lot of us bought it in the Apocalypse. The hunting community's spread thin out there." My shoulders slumped and I sighed. My annoying friend and former partner was right. "I dunno, Rufus. I'll make some calls. Maybe we'll get lucky." *Rosarito, Baja California, Adam's POV* I could count on one hand the number of times any of our phones had rung in the past seven months. When I heard Bobby's faint ringtone coming from somewhere on the patio, I happily disengaged myself from Dean's unnecessarily complex, unfairly scored, and surprisingly physical game of non-contact flag football, which between Dean's random point deductions and Sam's increasingly aggravated protests was becoming more and more contact every minute. Mia would laugh then go ahead and tackle Dean whenever he made unfair calls, which was all the time. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust from the blinding white beach sand to the relative shade of the patio awning, and I groped blindly along the remains of our lunch, following the sound to the cellphone. Me, Sam, Mia and Dean had been in Baja for more than seven months now, following our near-disastrous ghost hunt-turned crazy demon cult battle in North Carolina. Dean had suggested we get away for a while, so the four of us could get our heads screwed on right; Sam and I because of our trauma of being trapped in Lucifer's cage, Dean to escape his falling out with Lisa and his ruined attempt at a normal life, and Mia because of her constant nightmares and some sort of depression with nightmares, involving waking up screaming, crying and the small urge to cut, but she never did. I had been skeptical at first. Someone didn't just "get over" Hell—especially the deep, dark, frigid depths where me and Sam had been locked up with two furious archangels—but with a lot of hunts under my belt, I couldn't exactly keep going without my brothers. We're family. As it had quickly become apparent to me, I wouldn't have wanted to anyway. I had grown close with Sam during the six months they'd spent down under, and after a rocky start he had formed a strong connection with Dean, too, then Mia came along. She helped me too, in a way. Trying to go on without them would have been foolish, and lonely. They were the only family I had anymore. In the end, I was happy we'd gone on this "family vacation." We'd seen the Grand Canyon, had a blast in Tijuana, and spent the last seven months at the beach house of someone named Mike, who Dean had said used to know their dad. It was almost enough to make him forget Michael and Lucifer, and Mia's nightmares. Almost. Finally, just before the last strains of The Gambler ringtone ended, my fingers closed around the casing of Sam's phone. I hit Talk and just barely remembered Dean's current instructions for answering. "Ghostbusters, what'dya want?" That's how a dead man answers a dead fugitive's phone, little bro, remember that even when you recognize the number. Bobby Singer's surly voice greeted his ears. "Cute. You're becoming more like your oldest brother every day." I grinned. "Thanks, Bobby." "It wasn't a compliment," Bobby shot back, but I could hear the smirk in the other man's voice. "Where is your bad influence, anyway?" A yelp and an "oof!" behind me caused me to turn my head just in time to see the football go bouncing along the patio and into some shrubs. "Um, we're just finishing up a friendly game of beach football." "Who's winning?" Another yelp and some flying sand drew my eyes from the ball toward the beach. "Uh, well, I'll have to see who's left standing." "Well, do that and call me back, will ya? I, uh…I want to run something past you boys, get your opinions." My attention was drawn by another round of shouting and laughing and more flying sand. "Contact penalty! Ten points for Team Dean!" "Like hell! You pushed me!" Sam complained. Mia scoffed, butted their heads together, but not too hard to cause them pain, the tackled Dean. Dean was caught by surprise, and I heard another "oof!" As the wind was knocked out of him, and they crashed to the ground. "Bad call, Deany-Beanie!" "Why do I let you tackle me?" I hear Dean complain. "Cause you love me." Mia laughs, sticking her tongue out. "Ew. Save it for lover boy!" Dean said, horrified. Mia rolled her eyes and lightly punched Dean's shoulder. Sam started laughing, and Dean rolled his eyes. Mia got up off of Dean, and scrambled up, then tackled Sam. Sam, startled, fell back when Mia's weight crashed into him. I'm surprised Mia could have the ability to knock the wind out of my moose of a brother. They fell to the ground, and I smiled. Mia must be having fun, and that makes me happy. Turning back to the phone, I rolled my eyes. I was glad I left the beach, but that meant I was further away from Mia. Mia had gotten tanner, from the seven months of constant sunshine and beach. I smiled. It made her pale blue eyes shine brighter, and she seemed more relaxed. "Will do, Bobby. We'll be in touch." *Mia's POV* Sam sighed as he finished setting up the video conference with Bobby and Rufus on his laptop. I can tell he was exhausted, and it was only mid-day. He leaned back on the couch and propped his feet on the coffee table while he waited for Dean to arrive and Adam to finish making lunch. I looked out the window and watched the water glisten and the sand sparkle. The past few months had done all four of us a lot of good—far more than I could have expected when I'd agreed to Dean's getting-away-from-it-all idea. When we'd started on our bona fide road trip—no hunting, just traveling—all four of us had needed an escape. Sam and I had been out of Lucifer's cage for months, but still very much prisoners of it. Both of us were prone to flashbacks, non-alcohol induced sleep eluded us. Dean's relationship with Lisa—his attempt at normalcy—had burned to cinders the moment Sam and I reappeared on his doorstep. I was still plagued with many nightmares. There was too much baggage. Hunting and "normal" didn't mix. Our precarious mental and emotional states had almost derailed a seemingly run-of-the-mill poltergeist in North Carolina, cost the life of a man we had been trying to help, and almost resulted in us all being demon food. Afterwards, at Dean's suggestion, we'd told Bobby we were dropping off the grid for a while. We needed to get our heads screwed on straight, and constantly running from town to town, hunting monsters while dodging vengeful angels and angry demons was no way to do it. Not if we wanted to live through the experience…and they did. For the first time in a long time, I realized that we had something to protect. Sam paid his proverbial debts many times over with more than half a century with Lucifer. Dean had his family—his original family—now including Mia—back, and they both now had another brother, and now Mia—to look after. It had just been the two of them for so long that they'd forgotten what it was like to have an almost normal family unit. It wasn't nuclear, but it was more than we had had since our dad died. *Mia's POV* I blinked out of my reverie as the family in question came into my field of vision. Adam padded barefoot into the den from the kitchen, expertly had four plates balanced in his hands. The youngest Winchester—My boyfriend—in spirit if not name—had turned out to be a fair cook. Adam's food was far better than Sam's spaghetti and Dean's microwaved hot dogs. Adam reached the coffee table and placed the plates down around the open laptop. He had a ham sandwich on a hoagie roll, which threatened to fly open from all the toppings that were stuffed into it. Sam's turkey club was similarly stacked. Dean's roast beef sub was…thinner. Adam had made me a ham and cheese sandwhich, which was nicely accompanied with lots of french fries and a chocolate chip cookie. "We need to make a food run sometime," Adam said, dropping into the wicker loveseat that flanked the couch and wrapping arm around me. "This is the last of the ham, the turkey, and the roast beef. Where's Dean?" As if on cue, Dean entered from the direction of the bedrooms, walking unusually slowly and making an obvious effort to keep his back straight. "Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow, ow, ow." He reached the couch and dropped down beside Sam. "OW!" Sam tilted his head back and observed the patches of angry red skin along his oldest brother's back, peeking through sloppily applied white cream. He shook his head. "I told you to wear sunscreen." Dean grimaced as he settled in, trying to find a comfortable position against the cushions. "Hey, Adam? Remind me to beat that smug look out of him as soon as I heal, okay?" Adam was busily chewing, so he just nodded and gave Dean a thumb's up. I laughed. Sam rolled his eyes. "We ready?" Getting mumbled affirmatives from us, Sam hit the call button and waited for the laptop to connect to Sioux Falls. As the digitized dial tone started up, Dean grunted, looking up from his sandwich and grimacing in Adam's direction. "Hey, where are my tomatoes?" Adam shrugged, but kept chewing. "'er all ou'." Dean wasn't so easily deflected. "You've got tomatoes on your sandwich." Adam nodded. From his expression, he clearly expected Dean to understand. He swallowed, then cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah. We ran out after I made mine." Sam glanced between them as I resumed eating and Dean began grumbling under his breath about little brothers and his lack of adequate nutrients. Before Sam could say anything about it, Bobby's image popped up on the laptop screen. Well, Bobby's mouth and chin anyway. "Sam?" "Bobby?" Sam smirked. "Uh, Bobby, lift your webcam a little." "Huh? Oh." Rufus' voice filtered through in the background. "I told you—" "Shut up! How's this Sam?" The rest of Bobby's face came into view in the chat window after a few long seconds of a dark, blurry palm. Rufus was seated behind him, just barely in the frame. Sam smiled. "There we go." After some pleasant catching up, Sam settled his elbows on his knees. "So, what is it you wanted our opinion about?" The laptop screen spun around abruptly as Dean's arm crossed in front of Sam's face, angling for Adam's plate. "Oh, my God! Fine! Here!" Adam's arm moved in front of the screen and deposited two large slices of tomato onto Dean's plate. I pushed Sam out of the way and looked into the webcam. "Hi Bobby!" I waved, smiling. "Mia! How ya been?" "Good!" I smiled. "Who's the chick?" Rufus asked. "That's Mia. She's a hunter." Booby explained. Rufus nodded, but didn't ask why, which I thought was nice. "Oh, and Bobby, I'm not cutting anymore. I stopped about nine months ago. I think therapeutic monster bashing helped a lot!" I say, smiling. "Thats good sweetheart." Bobby says, clearly pleased. "See? Killing monsters does help!" Rufus says, staring down at Bobby. "Thank you!" Adam said suddenly. Bobby frowned. "What was that?" Sam looked between Adam and Dean and shook his head as he readjusted the computer. "Nothing. Go on. You were saying?" "Well, I got a call from Arthur Kandinsky this morning." "He's still alive?" Dean asked around a large clump of roast beef. "That's what I asked," Rufus intoned from behind Bobby. Bobby shrugged. "He's got a case out in L.A. that he thinks should be looked into, but he can't enter the state. Don't ask why." *Sam's POV* I grinned. Knowing Arthur, he was probably wanted for murder again. I could sympathize, as Dean and I had had their share of similar troubles, but Arthur seemed to keep getting into those messes again and again. *Mia's POV* Bobby didn't waste anymore time on the subject. "Anyway, three people have turned up dead on the north side of L.A., near Santa Clarita, all within a few miles of each other. All of them were torn apart, looked like they were eaten by some wild animal, except they were also cooked. I just checked the net, and a fourth was reported in O'Melveny Park last night." "That is weird," Dean commented between bites. "Well, a wild animal doesn't cook its food." On the screen, Bobby nodded. "Yeah, that's what we figured, too." "Demons have been known to burn people," Dean said almost casually, but a shadow crossed his face. None of us had good histories with fire. Dean shook his head. "But, I don't think they eat them." "If it's some kind of monster," I joined in the discussion, "Then it's pretty brazen to hunt down people so close to a huge city like L.A." "The burning of the bodies doesn't quite add up, either," Adam chimed in. I glanced at each of them as the conversation went on, eyes narrowing. Something wasn't adding up, all right, and not just with the case in Los Angeles. "Bobby? Why are you telling us about this?" Sam asked. I saw Dean and Adam both look at him oddly. The question hadn't occurred to them, it seemed. Bobby frowned, and looked uncomfortable. "Um, well…Arthur can't go—because of his situation—and Rufus is laid up because of his leg…." "Mm-hmm." Sam nodded, suspicion growing as to what was coming next. "And, I know you four are, uh, on 'sabbatical' and everything—" Rufus nudged his way into view of the webcam. "Oh, spit it out, Bobby, they aren't children. We were gonna ask you three to check this out. You're only a few hours away from L.A.." Sam bit his lip and glanced up at his brothers. Adam looked excited. He was still gung-ho about hunting, and that enthusiasm had only been bolstered by the relative success of his first hunt back in North Carolina earlier that year. I was pleased. 'Their young,' as Dean had put it a while back. Dean, on the other hand, was sporting an expression that Sam figured wasn't too different from his own: ambivalent. We'd spent seven months tucked away in this quiet corner of Baja, working through their various issues and, together, they had a lot of issues. Big issues. Sam hadn't asked, but he knew Dean hadn't volunteered any thoughts about a return to hunting, and Sam…was okay with that. Adam and Mia, though— "Look, guys," Bobby continued, elbowing Rufus out of the way, "I know you wanted to stay off the grid for a while, and believe me, I know you deserved the rest, but…people are dying. You guys are the only hunters close-by that we know of, and all the L.A.P.D. will know to do is send in animal control." Dean sighed. "Bobby, are you sure there's nobody else nearby?" "I called everyone I know of, but they're all busy with their own hunts right now." Dean frowned, glancing back at Sam with a minute shrug. "All right. We'll see what we can find out. Email us anything else you got." *Adam's POV* I packed my duffel quickly, excited to be getting back to hunting again. The hunt back in Winston-Salem, North Carolina had been a disaster—very nearly a fatal one—including an unconsious girlfriend and a raging, eight foot demon on our asses—but I could still feel the thrill. I idly wondered if my dad would be proud. John Winchester had kept me away from all of it, hoping that anonymity would keep myself and my mom safe. I couldn't help but think that if John had trained me the way he'd trained Sam and Dean, maybe the ghouls that had come after his mom wouldn't have succeeded. I shook my head. All of that was ancient history. Casting a final look around the bedroom to make sure I had everything, I zipped the duffel and headed out the door. I hoped Mia and my brothers were as excited as I was about the new case. *Mia's POV* Dean heaved the weapons bag into the trunk, and began distributing its contents into the proper places in the hidden compartment. I looked at the ocean and Adam wrapped an arm around me, planting kisses on my lips before continuing to stare at the ocean. Sam was beside him, packing the salt and holy water in with the various talismans and journals. At the rate packing was going, we wouldn't reach L.A. until almost nightfall. Probably too late to visit the coroner's office, but maybe they could scope out the crime scenes before turning in for the night. One more restful day might be just what his sunburn needed, anyway. Out of the corner of his eye, I noticed that Sam had stopped moving. Glancing over, I saw him staring at the ocean, and followed his gaze. The tide was coming in, and had already obliterated all traces of their earlier football game. He looked back at Sam, and the thousand yard stare. "I can hear you thinking, Sammy." After a long moment, Sam blinked and turned to face me. "Hmm? Oh. Yeah." I went back to packing. "What?" Sam shrugged, but went back to his work as well. "I'm gonna miss this place." Dean smiled. "Heh. Me, too." Adam and Sam nod in agreement. More than ever, I can tell that Dean was glad we'd taken our seven month vacation. His brothers had learned to cope, as best anyone could, with their experiences in the Cage, and Dean felt better than he had in years. He'd even managed to re-establish contact with Lisa and Ben. It was just the occasional text message for the moment, but it was a far cry from the way they'd left things the previous two years. They'd never go back to their living arrangement, but irregularly regular contact was something. Ultimately, she'd been there when Dean had needed her most, but once his true family had returned…. Hunting and normal don't mix. Adam, Sam and I had both learned that the hard way. I was still plagued with the horrible nightmares, but they weren't as intense when we stayed here for a while. It's like therapy, just as monster killing is for me. "Dean…" Sam spoke again, interrupting my thoughts. "Are you sure we wanna—? I mean—" I knew the rest of the unspoken question. Do we want to start hunting again? It was a question I'd been asking himself over and over ever since we'd told Bobby they would look into this case. Truth was, I knew he didn't have an answer. "I...don't know, man. Honest." Adam gave me a kiss then left for a moment to check if everything was in place, then came out of the house and locked the door, and jogged toward the car. Dean smirked. "He seems sure." Sam shot him a sideways glance. "Mia and Adam are young. It's adventure for him. I've never seen Mia happier than she is now. She hasn't cut in nine months, hasn't had any urges, eats well, sleeps well except for one or two nightmares a night, and she seems at peace." *Dean's POV* I glanced at my brother, noting how much older than seventeen he looked around the eyes. "Don't let him hear you talk like that. He's already running faster than you." "Because I let him," Sam huffed, but smiled faintly at Dean's attempt to lighten his mood. "Besides," I continued, cutting his eyes toward Adam as he approached, him and Mia talking. Mia jumped in his arms and Adam lifted her chin and they looked into each others eyes. Mia smiled widely, and Adam tucked a piece of brown hair behind her ear and brought their lips together. "He might have a different last name, but he's still a Winchester. If we try to back out of this, they'll probably decide to do it by themselves. It's the same thing with Mia. She has a different last name, but dad would be proud to have her as his daughter, our little sister. Follows orders, doesn't question anything. She is like our sister. She watches our backs, we watch hers. She might have a different last name, but she is a Winchester, in some ways more than one." Sam smiled. "Yeah. I get that. I guess I've just gotten used to…you know. This." I sighed. I still didn't have an answer. I zipped the empty duffel and stowed it against the spare tire. "Well, maybe we'll luck out, Sammy. We'll get up there and find out it's some mutant coyote with opposable thumbs that likes hot food." Sam raised an eyebrow at that. "Hey, it wouldn't be the weirdest thing we've ever run across." Sam cocked his head and mimicked deep thought. "True." Closing the lid to the weapons compartment as Adam and Mia closed in, Adam suddenly picked up Mia, which made her giggle, I spoke more quietly. "Hey, let's just take care of this, then we can decide what we want to do. One thing at a time." Sam considered him for a moment, then relented. "Yeah. Okay." "You guys all set?" Adam asked as he joined us and gently set Mia down then dropped his bags into the trunk. I shared a brief look with Sam, then put on his game face. "I think so." *O'Melveny Park, California, Mia's POV* Dean slept away the three and a half hour drive to L.A., letting Sam handle the trip while he rested his still-stinging sunburn in the back seat. He awoke as Sam guided the Impala into the Granada Hills area, toward the spot where the latest victim had been found. After a quick look around, they would get a motel, then visit the coroner in the morning and see what they could find. The victim had apparently been trying to reach a parked car, in a dark, isolated lot along the park road. The driver's side of the car was blackened, along with the asphalt and some of the nearby grass, as though someone had lit a bonfire. "Creepy." I mused, stepping carefully over a strand of crime-scene tape. The car had been left there, booted to keep anyone from stealing it before the police could return. No cops were nearby, though, which was good for us. "Like a fireball hit it," Sam said, taking a close look at the charred side of the car. "Spontaneous combustion, maybe?" "That really happens?" I asked, looking at Sam askance. "There are spells," Dean answered, picking his way around the perimeter. "A witch, maybe. They'd know a spell for that." "Wouldn't be the first time," Adam murmured, reaching into his pocket. He withdrew his lock pick set. "I'll check for a hex bag." "Well, if it turns out to be a witch, let's be extra careful with the car and the room." Dean said, moving along the edge of the road. "I don't want to burst into flames. Me or my baby." Sam shot him a look. "Or your brothers." "Or me!" I spoke up. Dean shrugged. "Meh." "Nice," Adam shook his head while taking photos of the scene with his phone. "We rank below the car, guys." "And the cassette tapes, probably." Sam offered, then went back to searching the interior of the car. "And the old worn leather seats." I offered sadly. I scanned the ground around the burned grass. If it was a witch, he or she probably didn't need to be nearby for the hex to kill, but there still might be something left to put them on the right track. I walked a few feet further, past the line of scorched earth. I was about to turn around when something caught my eye. Turning back, I walked a few more feet, and stopped. There was a depression in the dirt. The shadowy ground almost concealed it. "What the—?" It was a footprint. A big one. And not human. "Hey, guys, check this out." Sam extracted himself from the front seat of the car and stepped over just as Adam came around from the other side. They followed my flashlight to the footprint. "What is that?" Adam asked, gaping. Sam turned his head to one side, then the other, taking in the print from the sides. "Looks like…maybe a lizard? A big, big lizard?" Dean glanced up at him. "So…what? She was killed by a T-Rex?" "That'd be kinda cool," Adam chimed in, shaking his head. "But she was roasted, too." "A fire-breathing lizard." Dean frowned. "Great, we're hunting Godzilla." Sam didn't look pleased with the notion. "I think we should get a look at those bodies in the morning." *Los Angeles County Department of Coroner* Examining autopsied corpses was a perk of the job that I hadn't quite gotten used to, yet. Now that I was getting up close and personal with the charred and half-eaten remains of victim number three—one Emily Brandt, late of northern Los Angeles—My stomach kind of hurt. In fact, after watching Sam methodically examine four charred, mangled corpses in a row, I was certain that I was just one more rotting body part away from throwing up my breakfast all over the coroner's table. "Regretting all that bacon, honey?" Dean whispered, appearing next to me at the table. Dean's expression was half-sympathy, half-teasing. I just nodded. Better to keep my mouth closed. "This is why I let Sammy do the lifting when we get to this part," Dean said sagely. I glanced at him sideways, then nodded at Sam, who was busy giving the corpse a thorough once-over. "I don't know how he can stand this stench." "Get a few burritos in him, you'll find out all about stench." Adam deadpanned, jutting his chin in Sam's direction. "Don't remind me," I groaned, feeling a little more nauseated at the memory of lunch in El Paso two and a half months earlier. "You guys know I can hear you, right?" Sam asked idly, using a magnifier to get a closer look at something along Ms. Brandt's calf. "Find anything?" Adam asked, sidestepping his sibling's question. "Maybe." Sam glanced up briefly. "Mia, can you hand me that scalpel?" I looked over my shoulder to make sure the coroner wasn't nearby before snagging one of the blades off the tool cart. The clearly overworked coroner had been more than happy to go back to his forms and files after we'd flashed our FBI badges and started looking at the bodies. He didn't seem to care what they did after he was excused. I handed the scalpel over to Sam. "What do you see?" Sam ignored the question for a moment, cutting a small incision into the corpse, and then prying something loose. He held it up so Adam, Dean and I could see the object. "Is that a tooth?" Dean asked, pulling on a latex glove and holding his hand out. Sam dropped it into his hand. "Yeah, reptilian, I think. Like a snake, but a lot bigger." "So," Dean mused, staring down at the four inch fang with a grin forming slowly on his face. "We've got a giant lizard footprint at the scene, and a giant lizard tooth broke off in our vic's leg…my guess is we're looking for a giant lizard." Sam smiled patiently. "That's real perceptive of you, Dean." "Screw you," Dean shot back without heat, handing the tooth off to Adam. "I don't see the Walking Encyclopedia of Weird coming up with any explanations either." "If I had any, I'd give it to you." I glanced up at Sam from my examination of the fang. "And your dad's journal doesn't have anything about big lizard teeth?" I'd read the book from cover to cover, partly for his on-the-job training as a hunter, and partly to get a better sense of who John Winchester really was, besides the guy who'd taken Adam to a baseball game for one birthday and taught him to play poker and drive. But, I hadn't seen anything like this, and the brothers had been scouring the book longer than he had. Dean shook his head. "Nah, I'd remember if Dad had ever hunted a dragon." "So, we're nowhere." Adam sighed, handing the fang back. "No." Dean said, holding the fang up to the light. "Not nowhere. I'd say we have one more lead on this than when we came in here." He cast a glance toward the coroner's office. "Let's grab lunch and look over these files before the doc starts asking us too many questions." *Bobby's POV* "A dragon?!" I exclaimed, glancing down at the phone's handset and wondering if I'd heard correctly. "No, Sam, so far as I know, dragons don't exist." Rufus looked over at me from the desk and mouthed Dragon? I shrugged. "Yeah. Okay. Yeah, do that and I'll take a look. Okay. Bye, Sam." I hung up and looked over at my old partner, who was frowning. "Did I hear that right?" I nodded. "Yeah, they found some tracks and a tooth. Looks like both came from some kind of giant lizard. They think. Sam's emailing the photos so we can look at them." "Well, outside of Sean Connery movies and the occasional parade in Chinatown, I don't think anyone's ever seen a dragon." Rufus huffed. "That all they've got to go on?" "They're going through all the evidence now." My email bleeped. I stepped around the desk and opened message. Sam had sent us four pictures, two photos of the footprint, day and night—with Dean's foot next to it for scale—and two angles on the tooth. Looked like a giant snake tooth. I swiveled the monitor for Rufus. Rufus whistled in admiration. "That's a big foot." Swiveling the monitor back, I sighed. "Well, let's see what we can find out. Um, you wanna look at those crypto-zoology books over there, Rufus?" I pointed to the bookshelf closest to the window. "Sure. Want me to read them to you too, Singer?" Rufus huffed as he wheeled his chair toward the wall. I dropped my face into my hands. I'd never prayed so hard in my life for a wound to heal. *Mia's POV* I watched Sam and Dean as they poured over copies of the crime scene reports and a map of Los Angeles on the motel room table. I took the opportunity to study my friends from the vantage point of being propped against my bed's headboard, pillows cushioning my perfectly tanned back. Adam was easy to read. The kid was thrilled to be hunting again. Kid really got the bug…. A few years earlier, I knew Dean never would have expected Adam to catch on so quickly. He had just been a scared, traumatized victim. Sam had backed their little brother up, more or less, but at first, Dean had shot down the entire notion of training him. For starters with Adam it wasn't what John Winchester had wanted. John had clearly done his best to keep Adam away from the hunting world. He'd even gone so far as to keep the kid's mere existence a secret. Dean couldn't ignore that. Dunking their newfound brother head-first into the messy, bloody world of hunting seemed wrong, at least at first. Secondly, Dean had been reluctant to put either of his brothers back in harm's way after their experiences in Lucifer's cage. The feeling of loss from when they'd fallen had been too strong, and Dean didn't want to risk losing either of them again. But time, Adam's persistence, and the disastrous ambush at Lisa's house by Meg, her hellhounds, and two rogue angels had changed everything. The world was different than it had been when John had concealed his third son. The bad guys—and more than a few of the good guys who'd been screwed in the abortive Apocalypse—would never leave any of them alone. Adam couldn't go back to a peaceful, free life. Neither could Sam. It was the same thing with myself. I can tell that nine months earlier, he would have never expected me to grow into a fine hunter. I haven't cut in a while, which shows Dean that I've matured in some way. I probably would still be at home, cutting and mopping over my depressing life. Like it or not, we would be keeping a low profile for years to come. If not forever. At the time, it had seemed reasonable to agree and let me into the game. I'm willing and able to help, an extra pair of hands are always welcome on a hunt, and who was Dean Winchester to say no, anyway? But, whatever progress we'd made on a personal or emotional front while staying at Mike's Baja beach house, now that we were working a case again, Dean…wasn't sure he wanted to be doing this anymore. He shifted his attention to Sam, who was circling a few locations on the map. Adam didn't seem to notice it, but I could see the same hesitation in his Sam's eyes. Hell, it's all over his face. Sam had been a reluctant hunter from the beginning. He had never truly embraced the family vendetta against Azazel; he'd been too young to remember what the demon had done to them when it murdered Mary. Unlike Dean, Sam had hated the nomadic, outlaw lifestyle, so much so that he'd left it behind to go to Stanford. Jessica's death had changed that, but then with Dean's deal and subsequent captivity in Hell and Ruby's manipulation afterward, the angels, Lucifer… I couldn't blame Sam if he wanted to throw in the proverbial towel. Sam had certainly paid his dues, a thousand times over. Between the two of them, they'd done everything that had been asked of them, and too much more. If anyone deserved to fade away, they did. There was the rub, though. If he and Sam decided that they were truly—finally—done…where would that leave Adam and I? They couldn't leave their little brother and me out in the cold, not after everything. And Adam and I wouldn't just quit. Not anymore. Not after everything that's happened. I could sense that much. What did that mean for them? "Dean?" Dean blinked. My friends in question were looking at him. I realized that he'd completely missed something in their conversation. "You all right?" Sam asked, frowning faintly. "Uh," Dean said eloquently. "Yeah." Both Sam and Adam were frowning now. "I was—um, I was thinking about something." "About the case?" Adam inquired, eyes narrowing. "Or about that girl at the front desk?" Dean smirked. His youngest sibling had just supplied the perfect cover. "Busted. Sorry." I shook my head, chuckling. Oh Dean. Sam's brow furrowed more. "You wanna put Stacy's clothes back on in your mind and help us with this?" "Sure!" Dean shot back, holding his hands to his temples. "Give me just a sec—oh, yeah. Yeah, that's— Whoo! Okay, I'm back. What'd'ya got?" Sam rolled his eyes, but didn't comment any further. Instead, he directed Dean to the map. "We think we might have something." I slid off the bed and stepped over, staring down at the layout of the city. Sam had drawn some red lines between circled areas near Granada Hills, and he pointed to them each in turn. "Here's where the first victim was found, uh, Jose Sanchez, in Bee Canyon Park." "Okay." I nodded, following Sam's finger across the map. "Next we have Eric Carter, right here, just off the Golden State Freeway. Police found his body by his car, which had a flat tire. They think he stopped around three in the morning and pulled off the highway." "And became lizard food. That would suck." Dean commented. "Pretty much," Sam continued, pointing to a third red circle. "Third vic was Emily Brandt. She worked at the Knollwood Golf Course. Apparently, she stayed after work to go over some receipts. They found her here, toward the north end of the course." "And here, on the west side of the course," I added, blinking. "And…here at the east—" "I—I get the picture." Dean grimaced. Adam shrugged, sticking his tongue out in a mock gag. Dean could sympathize. "And the last one?" "Stephie Gavilan," Sam said. "Last seen when she went running the other night in O'Melveny Park." "Right. That's the site we visited." Dean nodded, studying the map. We waited for him to reach his own conclusion. "So, all the attacks seem to be within an area a few miles across." "Mm-hmm," Sam, Adam, and I hummed simultaneously. Dean raised his eyebrows. "Hunting ground?" "That's what we think," Sam confirmed. "But this is L.A." Dean crossed his arms, standing straight to get his t-shirt off his sunburned shoulder blades. "Someone's going to notice Gamera walking around chomping on pedestrians." "Who?" I asked, squinting in confusion. "Gamera," Dean replied, turning to his youngest sibling, who was staring blankly back. "Gamera! Giant turtle? Fought Godzilla a few times?" Adam just blinked. Dean sighed. "What did you watch on TV growing up?" I frowned. "Um…I dunno, nothing?" Dean squeezed his eyes shut and wagged a finger at him. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." "Anyways," Sam interrupted. "Yeah, Dean, you're right. But all of these attacks seemed to take place at night. So, we're thinking that maybe it stays hidden during the day and goes out to feed after dark. Or close to dark, anyway. Gavilan's time of death was estimated at about sunset." "All right." Dean lowered himself into one of the chairs. "So why all of a sudden? The coroner didn't act like this had happened before." Adam piped up. "Maybe it just moved here." "Yeah." Sam nodded. "This many kills in just two week's time…maybe it's establishing itself. Marking its territory." Dean shuddered. "Ugh. I just got an image of Godzilla peeing on Los Angeles." Gross. That's disturbing on ten levels. "Bet you never saw that movie growing up," Adam muttered, smirking. "No, but I did see this video once where this girl—" "Stop!" I held up a hand, shuddering myself that time. Sam pinched the bridge of his nose, scowling. "Oh, God, I saw that video too…and now it's all I can see. Thanks, Dean." Adam frowned, spreading his hands in silent confusion. Dean patted his forearm. "We'll show it to you when you're older." "No. No, we won't," Sam corrected emphatically. Adam motioned toward the map. "Can we please get back to—?" "Yeah." Sam turned the laptop around so Dean could see the internet window he had open on the screen. "I read up on reptiles, in general. A lot of them hang out in or around water, especially in the hot season. L.A.'s in the hot season now, so I think it might be a good bet this thing will stay around water." "And like you said," I added, "people would notice this thing if it was living along the coast and walking fifteen miles into the city to eat." Sam pointed to a blue area on the map between his red circles. "So, I think we might look here, Lower Van Norman Lake. It's part of the local reservoir system." Dean was skeptical. "So, you think a giant lizard hangs out by this watering hole all day, in broad daylight, and nobody sees it?" "Depends how big the thing actually is, and how deep the water is," Adam countered. "It's a place to start." "Steakouts suck." I rolled my eyes. Dean had been grumbling ever since we arrived, even though he got to stay in the car, listening to the police scanner with me, while Adam and Sam circled Lower Van Norman Lake on foot. We had our cells on speaker, and every fifteen minutes they would shine our flashlights so the others could see. *Adam's POV* I raised my phone to my mouth. "Don't know what you're complaining about. You're not the one out here scoping out Godzilla's lair." "Possible lair," Sam corrected. I couldn't see much in the darkness, but I figured Sam was on the rise across the lake. "Yeah, well, you're not the ones sitting around with nothing to eat but potato chips," Dean countered petulantly. I shook his head. "Wanna switch places?" There was a pause. "No." "Didn't think so." "It's been fifteen minutes, smartass. Where's your light?" Dean griped back. "He's talking to you on the phone! And stop complaining!" Mia yelled, defending me. "You know the rules. Lights!" Dean ordered from the car. He sounded annoyed, but it was probably just an act. "God I hate you Dean!" Mia yelled. John Winchester had never been around enough for me to see my disciplinarian side, didn't even know Mia existed, but Sam had filled me in, and I knew Dean had inherited that tone of voice and the tendency to give orders. It didn't bother me too much, even though I knew I was the bottom rung on the little Winchester chain of command. At least when we were hunting. Sighing loudly into my phone, I lifted my flashlight and shined it back and forth, lighthouse style. I could see Sam doing the same on the far side of the lake, and Dean flashing the Impala's headlights. Mia flashed her light, and hit Dean for being a bitch. I chuckled. I walked in silence for the next few minutes. It was unnervingly quiet, but the usual collection of night insects were chirping away, so I was reasonably certain there weren't any large predators out there with them and eat our faces off. I hoped that rule still applied when it came to giant lizard things. I shifted my shoulder just to feel the strap on my hunting rifle and reassure myself. A few yards farther, I stopped and stepped up onto the edge of the concrete retaining wall. The quarter moon peeking through the clouds and the ambient glow of the city lights allowed him to see the smooth, dark surface of the reservoir, and much of the surrounding land. Quietly, I sank into a crouch and went still, letting himself blend into the surroundings. Everyone was dressed in black. We didn't want to stand out too much with the surroundings in case something really was there, and we weren't keen on being spotted from the nearby highway walking around with loaded weapons. After a long moment, I clicked my flashlight back on and swept it low across the ground and along the edge of the water. There weren't any tracks even remotely like the ones we'd found at the last scene. In fact, aside from a few human footprints and what might have been a coyote print, the ground was barely disturbed. Still something felt off about our search. Well, something else felt off about our search. I kept getting the sense that his brothers weren't very happy about being there, working the job. They were professionals, of course, we took the danger seriously, but I kept seeing reluctance on Sam's face when the other didn't think he was looking. Dean was harder to judge, but Adam suspected the same was true for him. I knew that my siblings had had a hard time the past few years—and the encounter with that demonic monster back in North Carolina had rattled Sam—but I had hoped after their stint south of the border that getting back into a hunt might invigorate us. The opposite seemed to be happening. Mia had never looked happier when they were at the beach. If I'd known how my brothers felt, I wouldn't have jumped at Bobby's request so eagerly. So far, I'd kept my observations to myself, and I can bet it was the same with Mia, she was looking at all the details, but also kept her observations about my brothers a secret. but I feared that Sam and Dean weren't seeing things the way he was, and I wasn't sure where that left them. My phone crackled. I buried my musings and focused on why we were out there. "Adam?" Sam asked, speaking low. "You okay over there?" I lifted my phone and kept my voice down, too. "Yeah, I'm here. I just stopped to look around." "See something?" Dean cut in, sounding very miserable and bored. "Stop being so damn grouchy Dean. Or I will tackle you again." Mia grumbled. I laughed at Mia's response. "No, that's just it. I, uh, I don't know how you guys would describe this, but…I'm just not feeling it here." "Not feeling what?" Sam asked. I sighed softly. "You know, that feeling you get on a hunt when you're getting close to something?" "Sure it's not gas?" Dean quipped. "Dean!" Mia said, angrily. "OW!" Dean yelped suddenly. "What happened?" Sam asked. "Mia hit me." Dean muttered. "You deserved it!" Mia yelled. "Did not." Dean said. "Did too." Mia countered moodily. "Did not." "Did too." "Did not." "Did too." "Did-" Dean began, but got cut off. "OW!" Dean yelped again. "Whats you problem?" "Whats my what?" Mia asked innocently. "Someones on their time of the month." Dean muttered, sighing. "Yes Dean, I am! I am on my fucking time of the month, you bastard! How would you feel if you were bleeding out of your dick for X amount of weeks and have cramps and headaches and mood swings? Huh? Tell me, how would you feel? Damn it Dean! Can you think about someone else for once and not only yourself? God Dean! Your unbelievable!" Mia ranted and yelled angrily. Sam and I chocked on air, and we began laughing. "Well," Dean says, clearly embarrassed about Mia's little outbreak. "Is it gas?" "My god!" Mia said frustrated. "No, it's not gas." I smirked. "I'm not Sam." "Hey!" Sam protested, offended. "Whatever it is," I continued quickly, cutting off any further protest, "I'm just not getting it. I think we're on the wrong track." There was a pause. After a minute or so, Sam spoke again. "I gotta tell you, Dean, I think I'm with Adam on this one. Hell, I'm not sure this water's even deep enough to hide a lizard—dinosaur—whatever." "I'm with them." Mia said. I heard Dean hum thoughtfully through the speaker. "Well, let's give it time. Maybe the thing is already out…eating. We might still catch it on the way back, if this is the place." Sam and I agreed. "Both of you find a place to settle in and wait. Try to keep out of sight if you can." "All right. There's a big concrete…pier thing over here. I'll head for that," Sam called back. I saw a large square drain cutout about twenty feet from where I crouched. "There's a drain on this side. I'll be next to it." "I'll…stay with Mia, and with the chips," Dean answered, sounding as though he already regretted his plan. I grinned as I jogged over and knelt down near the drain opening. Settling in, I felt a drop of rain land on my forehead. "This is going to be a long night..." I groaned softly. *Granada Hills Youth Recreation Center* Tanisha Russel slammed the door of her Camry and yanked her jacket over her head. Her son Tim had been home from the softball game for three hours, but had only just remembered leaving his book bag in the dugout at the rec. Naturally, his homework for the next day was inside it, and of course, it had to be raining. "My day can't get any freakin' worse!" she yelled to no one. She was alone at the field, and glared in the direction of the bleachers that flanked one of the smaller ball fields. Tim had last been sitting with his friend Alan and a few of the other team members, and all Tanisha knew was that it was at this field, over where the hot dog stand had been set up. All of the vending areas had been folded up and moved out, so maybe that'd make her search a little easier. Hopefully. Of all days for this to be happening, it had to be today! She had to be at work early in the morning for one of their painfully boring security lectures. At least I can sleep through it…. The bag was nowhere around the bleachers. She could just barely see under them, even with the bright banks of field lights still on overhead. Grumbling, she edged past the fence and walked around behind, trying to steer clear of the deepest of the growing mud puddles. She smirked grimly to herself as she searched. The weatherman had been wrong again. They weren't supposed to have rain until the weekend, but it had been pouring for almost two hours and showed no sign of letting up. "Ah ha!" Tanisha cried, spotting the missing bag at last. It was nestled between a fence post and one of the thick metal supports for the scoreboard. She headed for it, stopping only briefly to curse when she stepped into a deep puddle, splashing mud up onto her shoes. Picking the bag up and shaking some water off of it, Tanisha turned and headed back toward the parking lot, only to stop in her tracks. Five men were standing between her and the car, all wearing some kind of utility coveralls. Tanisha could just make out their faces in the glow of the field lights. They all seemed to be identical. Quintuplets? Never seen any in person. She couldn't see their expressions clearly, but they were all staring directly at her. She smiled nervously. Maybe they worked there and thought she was stealing something. "My son left his bag," she called, struggling to keep her jacket over her head as the wind picked up and rain started hitting her face. The men didn't answer, just stared. Tanisha began feeling uneasy, and slowly started walking in the direction of the parking lot, keeping to her right and trying to put one of the fences or a building between her and the strangely silent men. She made it about a dozen feet when they started moving toward her. Their appearance seemed to blur, then distort as they moved, before finally changing completely. For a moment, Tanisha could only stare at what she was seeing, then she screamed and bolted in the opposite direction, away from her car. Then she felt a wave of intense heat pass over her body. *Dean's POV* It had been raining for three hours. I flipped on the Impala's windshield wipers to clear the view, feeling a nagging sense of guilt. I should have called this stakeout off. There was no sense in Sam and Adam getting drenched and being stuck in the car with a hissy Mia, when clearly no creature—dragon, Gamera, or otherwise—was camping out at the lake. Better to head back to the motel and regroup than sit there and suffer all night. My siblings hadn't complained much, even though there was no cover around the lake's artificial edges. I knew they had to be soaked. I'd considered rolling down his window earlier, as an act of solidarity, but I'd just detailed my baby's interior…they'd understand why he decided against it. Well, Sam would. Adam might, but I wasn't sure. Better just not to mention it. I was about to pick up my cell and call my brothers in and an angry Mia when the police scanner crackled to life. I almost ignored it, as there had been a lot of accident calls since the rain started, but I listened for a moment to be sure. Mia was quiet, listening intently as well. "Calling any unit in the Granada Hills area. We have a reported 904 at the rec center at 13100 Balboa Boulevard. Repeat, we have report of 904 at the rec at 13100 Balboa. Respond." 904. I frowned. Fire, I think. Sam's voice filtered through the cell phone speaker, interrupting his thoughts. "Hey, Dean, I'm thinking we should call it a night. Temp's starting to drop." I smiled and lifted the phone to reply when the scanner crackled again. "Base, this is Ramirez. I'm 10-97 at the rec. Looks like a 10-53. Send a bus." I frowned. "10-53" sounded familiar. Sammy and I spent enough time around cops—and impersonating them—so a few of the codes stood out. "Dean? You there?" Sam called again. "He's probably rocking out to Survivor, again." Adam chimed in teasingly. "Oh God. Dean needs to stop listening to that damn song." Mia complained. "Wait until you catch him lip-synching to Air Supply, then we'll talk," Sam countered. I raised an eyebrow at that. It had only been that one time. Well, Sam had only caught me that one time. But I set aside my retort. "Hang on, guys." "Ramirez, base. Say again." "Base, we need a bus at the rec. One victim. Died in the fire—explosion, not sure what. Real mess out here." "Copy, Ramirez. Units en route." Dean pulled the road map from the backseat and checked for Balboa Boulevard, then lifted his cell phone. "Hey, guys, get back to the car. We might have something." It took only two minutes for Sam with his short hair and Adam to come jogging our way from opposite sides of the reservoir. Dean rolled down my window as we approached. Sam stepped up to the door and held his jacket over his head, shielding them some from the rain. "What's up?" "Scanner picked up a police call," Dean explained. "Someone was killed a few streets over. Burned. The cop couldn't explain what caused it." Adam cast a glance over his shoulder warily. "You think it's our lizard?" "Only one way to find out," Sam replied, already headed for the passenger-side door. "No!" Mia yelled, startling Sam. "My seat!" She snapped, crossing her arms. "O-okay. Your seat." "Yay! Thank you Sammy!" She smiled brightly. "You just gotta make her happy." Sam whispered to me. I held up my hand to stop my brother. "Hey, Sam? Sam!" I crooked my thumb, pointing over my shoulder toward the trunk. "Can you get the….?" Sam stared blankly at me for a moment, then realization dawned on his face. "Seriously?" "Well…" I shrugged. "It's raining, Dean!" "I know, but…." Sam sighed with aggravation. "Oh, my God. Adam, will you get those camping tarps out of the trunk? So we can cover the seats before we sit down." Adam's gaze shifted from Sam to me, eyes narrowing. "Oh, nice man." I cringed. "I'm sorry! She's clean, and you guys are really wet…" With a groan, Adam turned and made for the rear of the car, shaking his hands in my direction and sending water spraying at me. Mia laughed and clapped her hands. "You're unbelievable, Dean." I turned my head to track Adam's retreat. I grinned meekly. "That's what she said." Sam, Mia and Adam replied together. "Shut up!" Mia more louder and moodily than my brothers. After dropping my brothers and a cranky Mia off at the motel room to dry off and warm up, and Mia was complaining about not being near Adam, I let her stay. I threw on my black suit and tie, grabbed my FBI badge, and headed for the new crime scene for a little recon. The police seemed to be writing the death off as accidental, judging by the reports we'd been listening to over the scanner. Security probably wouldn't be too tight. Indeed, when I turned the Impala into the rec center's expansive parking lot, I saw only two police cruisers, an ambulance, and a fire engine. The lot ran the considerable length of the center's ballfields, and the rain had let up, so I parked a discreet distance away and ambled up to the lines of yellow tape surrounding an area around the fence line. An officer frowned at me, but waved me through when he saw my badge. A sergeant turned and intercepted I as I headed for the large, burned-out area near one of the squat, concrete buildings. "Can I help you?" I flashed my ID again. "Yeah, I'm Agent Welnick, FBI. Are you Sergeant…Ramirez?" The cop looked at me questioningly. "Yeah." I smiled broadly. "Good, I was told to ask for you. My supervisor sent me out to lend a hand with this…well, whatever it is." Ramirez glanced over at the body, then back at me. "What's the Bureau want with an accidental burning?" "Uh, that's a good question." I stalled, thinking on his feet. Ramirez waited expectantly. I put on my most comradely smile. "Look, total honesty?" Ramirez raised his eyebrows and nodded. "I have no idea why I'm out here. We got a new boss at the Field Office, came in three weeks ago. He's got his nose into everything. I think he's bucking for promotion. He sent me out here to see what was goin' on." Ramirez studied me a moment, then shrugged. "Sounds like a pain in the ass." I chuckled, hiding my relief at the man's acceptance. "You have no idea, man. He's had us running our asses off ever since he got here." Ramirez snorted, motioning me to follow him to the scorched area. "I know what that's like. We do the running, they sit on their asses and take the credit." Grunting in agreement, I nodded ahead. "I tell ya, as soon as a spot at Homeland Security comes open, I am outta there! So, what is all this?" Ramirez shrugged again, stopping in front of a white sheet and pulling it up so I could see. A charred, almost unrecognizably human body rested on the ground. What was left of it, in any case. Most of the torso was missing, as was part of one arm and a foot. "Eh, near as we can tell, a woman came out here, decided to have a smoke." Ramirez pointed to a burned, partially melted woman's purse. Among the spilled contents was a blackened pack of Morley's. Then he guided my gaze up and past the body, where a mangled steel propane tank rested against the concrete wall of the concession building, hooked into what was left of a grill. "Apparently she didn't notice the tank. Probably didn't even know what hit her." "Mmm." I grimaced. "Sucks to be her. She the only one?" "So far as we can tell." I nodded, taking in the carnage. The body looked very similar to the ones we'd looked over in the morgue. He noticed injuries—the same kinds as on the other victims—along the woman's midsection. Blood was splattered along the ground around her, coloring several of the deep, muddy puddles left by the rain. Turning back to Ramirez, I gave a final nod. "All right. I've seen enough. I don't think this is anything we need to get involved with." Ramirez smirked. "Good. Every time you guys come in, my boss starts a pissing contest with the Bureau." I laughed along with him, good-naturedly. "Well, if you don't mind, I'm going to walk around so I can tell my boss I checked everything." "That's fine. We're just on clean-up now. Knock yourself out." Ramirez waved him off. I started moving down the fence line to the outskirts of the burn zone. Ramirez called out again. "And, hey, good luck with that job hunt." I laughed. "Thank you!" I walked on, moving away from the cops. Ramirez and the others went back to work and seemed to ignore me entirely. I walked toward the larger of the sports fields, at the eastern side of the massive lot. Mud mixed with grass, forming large puddles and marshy green land. I stuck to the grassy areas so as not to get my shoes filthy. I was about to head back to the Impala when I noticed a depression in the mud where dirt met grass. Stepping over to it, with a cautious glance to make sure I wasn't being watched—I wasn't—I took a closer look. The depression was another huge, reptilian footprint. Turning to look in the direction the toes were pointing, I saw another print, several feet farther into the grass. The ground was soft from the soaking rain. "Well, well, well…" I l mused, following in the direction of the tracks. A regular pattern of footprints trailed along the grass and mud, roughly parallel to the edge of the asphalt parking lot. I counted a dozen clear prints and at least half as many more, indistinct ones. Judging by the gait, I guessed that whatever it was had two feet. And a really long stride. The thing must be huge! "Definitely Godzilla, not Gamera," I muttered to myself. I was a considerable distance from the crime scene by then. It seemed the creature had left in that direction. Between the prints, I saw dark splotches of color, something staining the mud and grass. I knelt and yanked a long clump of weeds out of the ground. The stalks were stained with the same substance. One thing any hunter worth his salt could spot—no matter the species—was blood. I looked back, and considered what Ramirez had shown me. The explosion of the propane tank might have injured…whatever it was they were hunting. I stood and continued walking. If it bled, we could kill it. Following along the same line, I soon came to the far end of the larger ball field. The parking lot ended with a worn, solid wood fence about ten more yards away. I crossed over the asphalt to the end of the wooden fence, and I stopped along a row of low bushes. In one place, the bushes were flattened and spread apart, and more blood stains dotted the asphalt. Looking up beyond the glow of the field lights and in the darkness beyond, I could see a huge open area, and beyond that, a mass of girders and piping. It was hard to see in the gloom, but it looked like a water treatment plant. I chewed my lower lip, taking in the sight. Water treatment… I turned and headed briskly back toward the Impala. Reaching into my pocket, he retrieved his phone and pulled up the contacts list. "Hey, Sammy," I began as soon as the call connected. "I think we might have something here." *Mia's POV* "Do I have to wear these?" Adam asked, motioning to the black-rimmed eyeglasses that Dean had bought at the convenience store that morning. He sounded more like five years old than seventeen. Sam grinned, but kept his eyes on the L.A. city map and let Dean take the question. They were already wearing their G-man duds. "Yes," Dean replied, not missing a beat. "They match your coveralls." Adam was next to the motel room's mirror, wearing a set of gray coveralls, with a generic computer security company's logo on the left breast. Adam and I would be playing the accompanying computer tech to Sam and Dean's Homeland Security duo. It wasn't perfect, but it was the best Dean had been able to…borrow just before dawn. I was wearing a similar outfit to Adam's as well. The glasses did help sell it. Sam tried hard to hide his smirk, for Adam's sake. "They look ridiculous. Can't I just be another DHS agent, like you guys?" Adam asked again, for the third time. Dean shook his head. "You look too young for that. Sorry, man." Adam pointed an accusatory finger at Sam. "Let him play the tech, he fits the part!" Sam opened his mouth to protest, but Dean beat him to it, waving dismissively. "Dude, I couldn't find a jumpsuit in his size." Apparently, Adam caught Sam's smirk that time, because he folded his arms and his voice took on a hard sarcastic edge. "Yeah, I can see that. It's hard to find clothes in Sasquatch sizes." "Hey!" Sam objected, turning to his brothers. Dean nodded without looking up from his duffel. "You're tellin' me…" Sam furrowed his brow. "Hey! I'm standing right here, guys." Adam huffed, leaning against the wall. "I look ridiculous." I sighed, straightening to face him. "You look fine. Stop worrying. You just stay behind us and don't say anything. We've done this a hundred times." *Sam's POV* I bit back a reminder to Dean of how he'd reacted the first time we'd had to dress up to gain access to a crime scene, to look at the wreckage transnational flight 2485, from all those years ago. It wouldn't help, but I made a mental note to tell Mia the story later. I spoke up before Adam could reply. It wasn't that I didn't enjoying watching Dean assert his particular brand of big brother authority, but we had work to do. "I've been checking the map again, Dean, and I think you're right. This water plant is right in the middle of the action. This thing could have made it to each location and back in the dark without too many people seeing it." "What I want to know," Dean shot back, zipping up the duffel and placing it by the door, "is how this thing can get close at all without someone—anyone—noticing a giant monster stalking around." I scratched idly at the back of my neck. "Well, Adam and I were talking about that while you were gone last night. Maybe this thing can make people see what it wants them to see." "Or at least see something less threatening than what it really is," Adam added, fussing with the zipper on his jumpsuit. "Right," I continued. "Like a siren, or a rakshasa, or a crocotta. They project this glamour onto humans that hides what they really look like until they attack. Kind of like how some animals use camouflage to protect themselves." Mia frowned. "Okay, I'm with you so far. So, I take it we're looking for a person, right? Not a car or a tree?" "Probably." Sam shrugged. "I mean, all those other creatures project people. I think a tree moving around would attract attention." "And if this place has security cameras, we'll be able to see it on those," Adam said. "Yeah, stands to reason." "See?" Dean piped up. "We're not just dressing you up for no reason." Adam shot him a sideways glance, but seemed to relent. "Fine. But next time, if we have to dress up I want to pick the disguise." Dean nodded, a little too pleasantly. "Sure. Next time we're in L.A. hunting a giant lizard that's eating people, you can decide." Adam's eyes narrowed. I had to cover my mouth before I laughed at the look of murder that crossed my little brother's face. I rose quickly from the table and hoisted my own duffel over my shoulder, pushing Dean toward the door. "Let's go! Daylight's burning. Hey, grab the laptop bag, Adam." I had Dean out the door and headed for the Impala before he could speak. Mia grumbled moodily, before walking out the door. *Mia's POV* The Joseph Jensen Water Treatment plant was huge. The website had stated its size at 125 acres, and standing on the premises, I could easily believe it. It consisted of a collection of white and gray concrete buildings, connected to a series of twelve vast water basins that were crisscrossed with large steel girders and piping. Dotting the rest of the complex were large tank farms, offices, and what looked like large runoff areas. It seemed like an excellent place for something to hide, especially if it laid low and only came out at night. Though, the thought of something hiding in the water basins, and doing God-only-knew-what in them, had me seriously rethinking my use of water while they were in town. I'd have to stick to the bottled stuff. Dean had parked next to the main administration building on the southeast side of the facility. The water basins dominated our view on the left. On the right over a rise, a forest of power line towers extended across the horizon, marking the site of a power transformer complex about a mile away. Despite being in the midst of a residential area, the plant covered such a wide area that the buildings and grounds seemed isolated from civilization. We headed up the stairs that led from the parking lot to a white- and wine-colored office building. Adam and I hung back a few feet, letting Dean and Sam take the lead and present a united front with their dark suits. It gave us the chance to discreetly examine the surroundings while his brothers talked their way past the manager. Speaking of, the manager finally appeared, walking toward them from a long hallway next to the receptionist's desk. He was a plump, balding man with round, dark-rimmed glasses, and was wearing a well-worn, tan button-up sweater. When he stopped in front of them, he stood almost a full head shorter than Sam. "I'm Alex Nichols, plant manager. Good morning, Agents…?" Dean produced a polite but friendly smile and motioned to himself and Sam in turn. "Mr. Nichols, I'm Agent Page, this is my partner Agent Jones. We're with the Department of Homeland Security." Nichols nodded to Sam in greeting, glanced back at the receptionist, then turned back to Dean. "Homeland Security, yes, Madelaine mentioned that. Um, this is…unusual. What can I do for you?" Dean glanced around the mostly empty reception area. "This is, uh, somewhat sensitive. Is there some place we can speak in private?" I nodded in approval. Wouldn't want to freak the shit out of people, now would we? "Certainly, certainly." Nichols beckoned us toward the corridor, and led them deeper into the building, past several glassed-in offices. One side of the corridor was made up of floor-to-ceiling windows that provided a grand view of the basins and piping outside. Nichols' office was at the end of the hallway, unlike the others featuring a wooden door and full wall. To me, Nichols looked nervous. He probably wasn't used to getting surprise visits from the Federal government. He ushered us inside, then closed the door and walked around to stand behind his desk. Adam and I hung back near the door and watched his brothers whip out their stern cop/compassionate cop routine on the hapless supervisor. Dean started in with his all-business voice. "Mr. Nichols, are you aware of any recent terrorist threats against your facility?" Some of the color drained from Nichols' pudgy face at the words. He stammered for a moment, shifting from foot to foot. "Um, no. My gosh, no. I'm not." Sam broke out a comforting smile. "Mr. Nichols, I'm sorry. We thought our superiors had already informed you." Nichols shook his head, looking a little shaken himself. "DHS has intel that seems to indicate this treatment plant as a possible target for terrorists. We were ordered out here to consult with you." Smart thinking. "The Secretary is announcing an elevated alert tomorrow," Dean added, using that business voice again. "We're supposed to inspect the site ahead of time so we can be ready." I kept my face carefully neutral. If someone didn't know better, they'd never suspect that Dean had just read a lot of those words for the first time a few hours before. Nichols didn't appear to know better. "My Go—here?" Nichols sank into his brown padded office chair. "What—what do they have planned?" Sam held out his hands to caution him. I still couldn't believe that his hair was short. His. Hair. Is. Short. Oh my god, I never thought I'd live to see that day where Sammy Winchester got his hair cut. His tanned skin was better than the paleness. It's a damn good thing that we went to the beach. I'm regretting my decision to going on the case. Damn it. Knew we should have stayed for a while longer. "Now, we said it was possible. All we know for certain is that the threat is localized in this area. A water treatment plant that processes so much drinking water for Southern California is at the top of our list for suspected targets. That's why we're here." It was Dean's turn. "We're going to need to see your security camera footage for the last few weeks." He pointed to Adam. "This is Paul Doucette. He'll check to be sure your system is up to our specs. We need to see your personnel files on anyone who's recently been hired." Nichols mouth was hanging open. "You mean it could be someone on the inside?" "We realize this is all happening fast, and we just sprung this on you." Sam reached into his inside coat pocket, withdrawing a business card emblazoned with the DHS logo. "Here, talk to our supervisor. He'll give you all the details and the authorizations we need." Nichols stood and accepted the card, studying it. "Deputy Director Robert Singer?" "He's in our Midwest Field Office," Dean supplied. "And this is a time sensitive operation, so if you don't mind, we can wait right outside?" "Of course," Nichols said quickly, already dialing. He looked a lot less comfortable than he had when he'd come out to meet them. Adam and I followed Sam and Dean out into the hall, closing the door but leaving it cracked open enough to hear the conversation Nichols was about to have with Bobby. Dean broke into a grin as soon as we were alone in the hallway and spoke softly. "So far, so good." Sam shook his head. "Laid it on pretty thick in there." "Nah." I waved him off. "Homeland Security is supposed to scare people." Adam smirked and cocked an eyebrow. "Dean, you do know that I was pre-med at UW, right? I don't know anything about security systems." "That's why Sammy will be with you." "Where will you be?" Adam asked with a frown. "Personnel—" He broke off when he heard Nichols calling his name from inside the office. That hadn't taken long. We re-entered the office. Nichols was standing by his desk, tapping the edge of the business card on the phone receiver. He didn't look happy. "Well, gentlemen and lady," he nodded at me respectfully before turning back to Sam and Dean, "everything seems to be in order." I breathed a silent sigh of relief. Bobby could be very convincing. Nichols was frowning, though. "I have to tell you, this is all very disturbing. I mean…it's been years since we worried about anything like this." Sam appeared sympathetic. "Well, new threats are appearing all the time. We have to investigate them so we can be sure that we don't have to worry about them and keep everyone safe in the process." "I suppose so. I couldn't do your job." Nichols ran a hand through his thinning hair nervously. "So, tell me what you need from me." Dean nodded at Adam, Sam and I. "Well, first let's set these three up in the security office." Fuck. The security room was in another building behind the Admin offices. Nichols led us over and introduced them to a security guard, who was on duty watching the screens. After instructing the guard to give them any help we needed, and setting Sam, Adam and I up on one console to review the past several weeks of footage, Nicolas and Dean excused themselves and went back outside. *Dean's POV* "All right. What now? The personnel files?" Nichols asked, rubbing his hands together. Holy shit, he's excited. I gestured toward the rest of the facility. "Actually, would you mind if I looked around first? I've never been to one of these plants, and our briefing was spotty." I figured I could back off the stern agent image a bit. Nichols was proving to be helpful, and he was obviously freaked out by the whole terrorist story. I felt somewhat bad about that, but it was something easily believable. Certainly a better approach than "hi, we're here to kill Godzilla." Way better. Nichols seemed to get excited at my request. That story had defiantly been an overkill. Defiantly. "Oh. Certainly. I'll show you around myself." I smiled. "That'd be great. And, Mr. Nichols, relax. We're here to help." The manager calmed a little, and led me over to a row of parked golf carts. Awesome. We climbed in one and Nichols steered the cart around the perimeter of the plant. As we began the impromptu tour, Nichols seemed to brighten. I got the impression that not many people showed interest in his work. "This is the largest water treatment plant west of the Mississippi. We can deliver up to 750 million gallons of water a day. In case you're wondering, that's enough water to fill the Rose Bowl in less than three hours." "Wow," I said, eyes widening. I was legitimately impressed by that. Nichols beamed at his reaction. Nichols continued, driving them along and naming buildings and utility sheds as they passed. "We employ about 1,800 people, mostly maintenance and technicians. Still, the plant is highly automated. Computers and sensors monitor everything: pressure, temperature, water levels. We supply all over the valley, Ventura County, south to West Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and the Palos Verdes Peninsula." I nodded. Nichols really was proud of his work. I kept up the cover, though. We had a job to do. "I can see why this was a priority target." Nichols sobered a bit. "So, do you get these calls often? The threat warnings, I mean." I shrugged slightly, eyeing the surroundings as we drove for any signs of our monster. I hope Mia wasn't bitching to Sam and Adam about something. I winced. Mia could slap someone really hard. Warning: Do Not Piss Off A Hunter Who Is On Her Period. Bad things will come after that. Bad, bad things. "Eh, maybe fifty a year." Sounded like a nice, round number. So what the hell. "Fifty? Really?" "Most of them don't lead anywhere," I explained, making it up as I went. "But like I mentioned, we run them all down to be sure. Every now and then you get one like that guy who put the bomb in his underwear—" "The one in Detroit?" "Yeah, but that's rare. Most of the stuff we find doesn't make it far enough to be a problem." Nichols slowed as we approached a line of ten tall, silver tanks. "Here we have ammonia storage tanks. We use ammonia and chlorine to purify the water as it flows through." "That safe?" I asked, inspecting the tanks as we slowly motored by. My eyes were drawn down to the ground, where I spotted similar dark stains to what I'd found at the rec center. More blood. Great. I wondered why no one who worked there had noticed it yet. "Well, the ammonia is safe. Very hard to ignite in air. Chlorine gas, though, is poisonous, so we store that in solid form. We dissolve it in the water." "Kinda like cleaning a pool," I commented. My eyes tracked the erratic stain pattern until it disappeared behind another utility shed. It seemed to be leading in the direction of the huge basins. Nichols chuckled. "Not too different actually. Let me show you the basins." He turned the cart and began traveling north. "In front of us here, we have the ozonation building, our maintenance division is inside, and it houses the main purification tanks. We actually just finished a major remodeling about five years ago. Renovated, brought up to code, heavier freight doors for security purposes." I noticed more blood stains across the pavement, leading into the building Nichols described. I glanced over at the manager, but I didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. Nicholas's lack of reaction to the obvious definitely supported Sam's glamour theory. Whatever their lizard was, it seemed to have the people there completely fooled. *Mia's POV* Sam sat next to Adam, wading through three weeks of security camera footage, while I sat back, giving Adam kisses and grumbling moodily about stuff. Hey, it's what a girl does on her period. Well, at least, that's what I do. The console had two widescreen monitors, each split into four images. Nichols had informed them that there were twenty cameras on-site, so Sam picked the eight closest to the basins and drainage areas to start out. Unfortunately, our quarry seemed to come out only at night, so that meant we had a lot of daylight recordings to burn through where nothing of interest to us was happening. That quickly went from deadly dull to sleep-inducing, and I noticed Adam pinching the back of his hand under the console to keep focused. Sam talked to the guard on duty to keep his mind from wandering. "So, it's just you on duty?" The guard seemed happy to be talking to someone. I could understand that, even having watched the screens for only fifteen minutes. "During the day, yeah. My relief will come on at five and work 'til dawn." "Twelve hour shifts?" "Yeah," the guard snorted derisively. "There used to be ten of us, but they've been cutting the budget for two years. Now we only have three. We switch off days in here. Howard walks the grounds during the day and covers my breaks." "What about at night?" I asked, trying to get a feel for the security situation. "Five on the night shift crew. Custodial mainly, all outside. Thompson watches the cameras. Doesn't get a break, but he gets paid extra to do it. Better him than me." Sam nodded, taking note of the information. The guard motioned at the screens Sam was watching. "So, what exactly are you looking for?" "Anything that doesn't belong here," Sam replied easily. At least that was true. The guard chuckled. "Well, get comfortable. Nothing ever happens at this place. You're going to be watching three weeks of nothing." Oh Lordy, this is going to be fun. "Excuse me," Adam interrupted. "What is this?" Sam and I turned. Adam was pointing at a dark shape in the water of the farthest basin from the Admin building. The shape wasn't moving, but stuck out on the bluish-white camera feeds. It was darker than anything in the other basins. The guard stood and stepped over, looking for himself. "Oh, I don't know. It started showing up a few weeks back. I asked the techies and they said it's either a sediment concentration or some optical illusion in the camera lens. They've gone out and looked, but there's nothing unusual in the water." "Mmm, fair enough," Adam conceded, shooting Sam and I a glance the guard couldn't see. I nodded faintly. That was not "nothing." There was something in the water. The cameras could see it. "Say, you guys mind if I step out for some hot chocolate?" The guard asked, stepping toward the door. I felt relieved. Hot chocolate was good to me, any time of the day. "There's a machine downstairs." "Go for it," Sam replied. "We're not going anywhere." "You want anything?" Sam shook his head. Adam sat back and stretched his shoulders, looking at me. "Want anything babe?" At least he was being nice. I smiled to him, then the guard. "Extra whipped cream and hot fudge on the top please. Oh, and can you see if you can find chocolate chips, please. It's my ultimate favorite." I smile sweetly. "Sure thing." The guard walked out, closing the door behind him. "Least he's nice." I mused happily. "Glad to see not all the people in the world are dicks." I laughed quietly. Adam stretched and got up, and kissed me longingly before sitting down and tapping the screen where the basin with the dark object was displayed. "I don't think that's sediment. It's on the previous day's tape, too." Sam concurred. "No, that's our boy, I bet. How long ago is that?" "Dated three weeks ago. Just appeared one day." I answered. Sam pointed to the keyboard. "Advance to the next day. Then fast forward to nighttime, see if we can catch this thing on the move." Adam went to work on the controls as Sam watched the video feed advance. The younger man slowed, then glanced at the door, and to Sam, before going back to the console. "Can I ask you something?" I asked. Sam blinked at the oddly formal tone I had slipped into, but nodded. "Shoot." "Why are you guys working this case?" I asked, keeping my eyes carefully on the screen. "What do you mean?" Sam frowned. Of course. Idiocy does come with men sometimes. I paused, discomfort showing on his face. "I mean…well, it's obvious you two didn't want to do this." Sam shot him a confused look. "Sam, come on. I'm not dumb. You both wanted to stay at the beach house." Sam hesitated. He probably hoped his and Dean's reluctance had been more hidden, but I was observant. Maybe they'd trained me a little too well. Points for me, apparently. "Uh…well—" "I mean, I get it, I get it," I continued. "I loved it down there, too. But, you two, Adam included, have earned it, you know? I could have come up here, Adam too, if he wanted, checked it out, and called Bobby back for you." "We wouldn't ask you to do that," Sam pointed out quickly. I finally turned to look at him, my expression earnest, but tinged with some remorse. "But, I would have." *Sam's POV* Did she feel she'd forced us to come here? I smiled faintly. "I know. We know. You don't have to worry about proving anything to us, okay? Besides, we owe Bobby a lot. We came up here because he asked us to." *Adam's POV* I observed him for a moment, then turned back the screen. "What about after this? You gonna want to go back?" Sam heard the catch in that question. Do you want to go back? I did. It's nice, getting away from it all. It made Sam, Mia and Dean happier, too. I can tell. Sam generated a game smile and deflected. We didn't need to have this conversation at the moment. "Let's handle 'after' after. All right? We've got Godzilla by the tail." If I knew he was evading, I didn't show it. I just went back to the video controls. A moment later, the guard returned with the hot chocolate. Mia and I thanked the man for this, but stayed quiet after that. Sam studied the me out of the corner of his eye. We'd been through a lot together. To Hell and back. *Sam's POV* I had a pretty good idea of what Adam and Mia would want to do after this job. 'Their young,' I thought, not sure weather I was jaded or envious. I kept my face neutral, and ignored the fact that I didn't have an answer for Mia's question. *Dean's POV* "Is this all of them?" I asked, eyeing the thin manila folder Nichols handed me. There were only a few forms inside. "Yes, that's all six. We hired Doctor Hernandez six months ago—he's one of the chemical specialists—and the five nighttime custodial staff just came on last month." I flipped the pages. Hernandez had a full file, a photo, and a copy of his ID card. The next five forms were spotty, with only one name on each and no pictures. "The custodians are all named Savalas?" "Yes, they're brothers. Quintuplets, actually." Nichols laughed lightly. "I'd never met any in real life. It's hard to tell them apart sometimes! We had a three-man crew before, but for some reason they all quit. Same day, about a month ago. We were lucky to find the Savalases. They came looking for work the day after the crew quit on us." He stared at me, eyes glazed over a bit. I looked at him more closely. The manager had been fine a moment ago, but he looked a bit blank all of a sudden. "They did? Ah." I nodded slowly, keeping my eyes on Nichols, who sounded almost like I was reciting from memory. "And, uh, no photos?" Nichols shrugged with another laugh. "Foul up at the photo lab. We took photos, but none of them came out." I mouthed a silent "Oh." "Well, that sucks." "It's all perfectly normal," Nichols replied mechanically. "Mr. Nichols, are you all right?" I asked, keeping his tone calm. Nichols blinked, and was back to his normal, jittery self. "Hmm? Oh, yes. Why do you ask?" I caught the change. "Just…doing my job. Um, can we head back over to the security office?" Nichols led me back to the second building, chit-chatting nervously as he'd been doing all morning. I noted that, like earlier, Nichols used an electronic keycard to enter the building, but the inner door to the security office wasn't locked. Inside, Sam, Mia and Adam were still looking at security footage. Mia had a large styrofoam cup filled with hot chocolate, whipped cream, chocolate syrup and chocolate chips, looking quite pleased with herself. At least she was happy. Daytime feed was displayed on Adam's screen, and nighttime on Sam's. He noted Adam making a silent gesture to one of the four images on Sam's screen, and Sam freezing the image. "Have you gents found everything you needed?" Nichols asked, sounding hopeful and apprehensive at the same time. He stopped just behind Sam's chair, and Dean slid in quietly beside him. "Everything seems to be in order here," Mia answered, casting a casual glance over her shoulder to make eye contact with me. They found something. Sam indicated the guard who was sitting on his left, nursing a mostly empty cup of hot chocolate. "Mr. Nelson here was just telling us about this sediment buildup you have," He pointed to a dark object in one of the basins on Adam's monitor. I looked for myself, following Sam's subtle hints. "That's normal?" Nichols looked for himself, and I noted that glazed look come over his face again. "Mmm. That happens sometimes. All depends on the quality of water we have coming in from up north." Nichols' gaze shifted to the nighttime recordings on Sam's monitor. "Oh, Agent Page, you were asking about the Savalas brothers. There they are." I followed where Nichols was pointing on the screen. It was a view of the basins at night. There weren't any humans in the video, though. I blinked, wondering if I was seeing correctly. I saw two thick, dark-colored legs and a long, whip-like tail. The rest of—whatever it was—was obscured by shadows and the pipelines that ran above the basins. Sam turned to look as well, and immediately froze the image. He swiveled his head. I met his intense glance and then took a moment to examine Nichols and the guard. Both were sporting that glazed over look again. Were they seeing people instead of a monster even on the video feed? "This is the custodial staff?" Sam asked. I thought he sounded a tad too casual, but it probably the best my brother could do considering. The other men didn't seem to notice, anyway. Nelson the guard answered. "Yup, that's them. They work every night. Better than that last crew we had." "I'll bet," I agreed quietly. That explained the blood stains not being noticed, if the "custodial crew" were doing the bleeding. "Say, I need to consult with my partner here. Can we have the room a moment?" Nichols and Nelson snapped out of whatever fuzz they were in and nodded graciously. "Certainly." Nichols replied. They walked out into the hall. I thanked them and closed the door behind us. When I turned back, Mia was gaping in the direction of the door. "What the hell was that? Can't they see it?" Mia asked. Sam studied the image. "Guess we were right about it being a lizard. A big one." "I guess that explains this." I opened the manila folder I had brought from Nichols' office and flipped it around for his brothers and Mia to see. "The night crew. No photos, no information, but 'it's all perfectly normal.'" "There are five people listed here," Mia observed, calling attention to something that had been plaguing me for the past few minutes. "Yeah, I noticed that. I'm not sure what to make of it." "Maybe there's more than one lizard," Adam said, a frown forming on his face. "Savalas," Mia muttered, glancing over the mostly empty file. "Greek name." I frowned at the non sequitor. "That important?" She appeared pensive, but shook her head. "Dunno." "So we have a Greek dinosaur—or dinosaurs—running around L.A.?" Adam asked, lowering his voice as he glanced at the door. "What's it doing out here?" "Not selling baklava, that's for sure," I said, setting aside the question of how many monsters there were for the moment. "Let me guess, that dark blob appeared a few weeks back?" Sam nodded. "Yeah, but it only shows up on these monitors, so it's naturally just an optical illusion." I snorted. "Yeah, naturally. I guess we're right about this thing being able to trick people into not seeing it. These guys act like their hypnotized, though." "Maybe prolonged exposure?" Sam suggested. "This thing's been projecting on them for weeks." "Or maybe it's more than just a glamour," Adam countered. Mia, Sam and I looked at him. "Think about it, it, or they, didn't just hide here, it got a job, gave a name, a cover story." Dean suppressed a groan. "Great, I hate monsters with brains." It shouldn't have surprised me, we'd hunted creatures that had assimilated into human society before. "Well, this thing isn't killing anymore people. I don't care what its IQ is." I stepped back to the door and beckoned Nichols back inside the room. "We'd like to ask the Savalas brothers a few questions. What time do they usually get here?" Might as well play into what Nichols already believed. "Um, about five-thirty, after most of the staff has gone home. Is there a problem with them?" Nichols seemed agitated, no doubt assuming the worst about the terrorist plot. "Just playing a hunch," I answered smoothly. "We're sure they're innocent of any terrorist connections. We have a…conference call with Director Singer starting at five, but maybe you could meet us back here around sunset? We'd like you to be here for the interview." Well, your keycard, anyway. Nichols seemed uncertain, but after a few moments he agreed. Another approaching rainstorm sped nightfall along, though fortunately the rain seemed to be several miles away. I dropped Sam off at the main Admin building, then stayed at the car with Adam and Mia, keeping out of sight in the backseat. *Sam's POV* I took the stairs two at a time, and met Nichols at the front door. "Agent Jones," Nichols said by way of greeting, glancing down at the Impala. I gestured at Dean, who was opening the trunk. "My partner's getting some equipment. He'll be up shortly." Nichols seemed to accept that, and swiped his keycard to unlock the door. I followed him inside. "May I see the room where we're interviewing?" "Of course." Nichols led me across the small reception area to a walled-in conference room. I noted the lack of cameras. Nichols gestured at the medium-sized wooden table. "I think this meets the requirements." I smiled behind the manager. "I'm sure it'll be fine." I stepped up silently and wrapped his right arm around Nichols' throat, instantly locking him in a sleeper hold. Nichols frantically grabbed at my forearm, but couldn't get leverage with my greater height. I spoke into his ear. "Easy. Easy. I'm not gonna hurt you." It was true. Nichols would wake up with little more than a few bruises and a crazy story to tell. Seconds later, Nichols stopped struggling, and then I was supporting the man's entire weight. I eased the manager down to the floor. There was a storage closet by the door. I dragged Nichols over, and after securing his wrists with a zip tie, snagged the security card and shut the unconscious man in the closet. I used one of the table chairs to jam the closet door shut, and shut the lights off on my way out. It was for Nichols' own good. I just hoped we could finish the hunt tonight. Otherwise, my next meeting with Nichols was going to be pretty fucking awkward. *Dean's POV* Using my cell phone camera, I looked over the easternmost basins, where the dark blob had been seen. A few more of the blood stains were visible along the concrete edge of the basin, but the water was clear and empty. Whatever had been on the security cameras wasn't there now. "That's not good," I muttered to myself, adjusting the sawed-off shotgun I had camouflaged under my left arm. I held the camera up and scanned the area around me, turning a full circle. I was alone, at least. I glanced in the direction of the Admin buildings. Speaking of cameras, Sam was supposed to be back already. I jogged over the large parking area past the basins at the back of the lot, sandwiched between a couple of building-sized pumping facilities, where Adam and Mia were waiting in the two front seats of the Impala. After dropping Sam off and watching him go inside, I had moved the car to the rearmost lot, far from the main gate and closer to the area where we'd seen the creature on video. Chances were it stayed close to its nest, especially if it was injured. "Any sign?" Adam asked, keeping watch with his elbow propped on the window ledge. I shook my head. "No. We need to move fast, just in case this thing isn't as hurt as we think. It might slip out to feed again. Any sign of Sam?" "Not yet," Mia replied, shifting her gaze to the south side of the complex and the office buildings. "Oh, wait…." Sam came jogging down past the row of tall ammonia tanks, a few hundred feet from where the car sat in the empty parking lot. "Finally," I breathed, more in relief than annoyance. When Sam got close, I called out, "We set?" Sam came to a stop near the Impala's back door, only slightly winded. "Yeah. Cameras are off, alarms are off, phones are down." I was impressed, despite myself. I knew Sam was more than capable, but I was somewhat surprised by the mischievous glint in my little brother's eye. If I didn't know better, I'd think Sam had enjoyed himself, but it was a conversation to be had later. "Nichols and the guard?" "Sleeping soundly, locked in closets," Sam answered, definitely a hint of pride in the pronouncement. "Not to be that guy," Mia interrupted, climbing out of the Impala, Adam behind her, "but whatever goes down here tonight, aren't we already on video from this morning? They'll put two and two together." "Nope, they won't." Sam smirked, holding up what looked like a computer harddrive in his hand, then tossing it into the backseat through the open window. I grinned. No recordings, no record of us ever being there. Nice, Sammy, nice. I walked to the rear of the car and unlocked the trunk. "All right, let's load up. I checked the water, and this thing isn't there, but I have a feeling it won't be hunting tonight. Not if the blood I saw is any indication." Sam, Adam and Mia followed me around to the trunk. I opened the concealed weapons compartment, and pulled out shotguns for my brothers and Mia. We weren't sure if the creature was immune to anything, but our handguns already had various standard, iron, and consecrated rounds, and even if the shotguns didn't kill it, their punch should knock it down. "Wish we had the Colt," Sam said, giving his weapons a last-minute inspection. I couldn't help but agree. We'd left Samuel Colt's revolver with Bobby, so he could make some more bullets for it. At the time we hadn't expected to need it for anything. We should know better by now. The more bullets, the better. We gathered our weapons and locked the car, then set off toward the northeastern corner of the plant. There was a large "ozonation building," whatever that was, nestled against a fence just past the basins, and flanked by a larger parking area for trucks. Two dozen or so tractor-trailer-sized freight containers were lined up in neat rows in the lot. Nichols had pointed the building out during Dean's impromptu tour as the location of the maintenance office. If the creature was masquerading as a custodian, it'd probably be hanging around the maintenance area. It was a place to start anyway. We kept our shotguns handy, but as concealed as possible while approaching. It appeared that the staff was gone for the day, but they had no way of knowing if any stragglers were around. "So, I was thinking," Sam began quietly, his eyes scanning our surroundings, "maybe this is just one creature." "With five disguises?" I asked, bringing up the rear and making sure we weren't being followed. "Not necessarily. It's a custodial crew. Nichols and the guard don't seem to have seen just one guy walking around, and he said they all looked the same," Sam said. "Nichols did say quintuplets," I added. "I was wondering about that, too." They arrived at the ozonation building, another large, white concrete structure with panoramic plate-glass windows running down the entire side facing the basins, and an artificial grove of transplanted palm trees along the west side. A wide loading dock and freight door dominated the east side. That was where Dean headed. Reaching the doorway and stopping to the right of it, Dean looked to us, who took position on the opposite side and indicated they were ready. He opened the cover of a set of green and red buttons labeled "Open," "Close," and "EMRG" and hit the green one. The heavy steel door groaned and started to rise, but not without an extremely loud buzzer sounding. The sounds pierced the quiet of the evening, loud enough to us flinch. Dean cursed silently. Adam sent him a sideways glance. "So much for the element of surprise." Annoyed, Dean brought up his shotgun and waved them all inside. "Spread out. Keep your eyes open." Inside the building was very open, with a wide loading area just beyond the door. Large floor-to-ceiling windows on the left gave a view of the basins just outside. Fifty feet in front of them, a row of thick columns separated the area from an enormous room with a higher ceiling, filled with processing tanks. Thick metal piping lined the walls to their left and in front of them—wherever there wasn't a window—and the ceiling above. It made me feel like I was in a fish tank. The floor reinforced that impression. Colorfully designed linoleum in various shades of blue mimicked the appearance of waves and water. More dark-hued blood stains marred the design, leading to the right. The area on Dean's right was another story. The wall there had been dug out, with a hole large enough to fit two or three Impalas. Beyond it, what looked to be an office was completely wrecked. Wood, paper, and the remains of cushion furniture was all piled, arranged and packed into the gaping space. Dean had seen enough nests to know one when he saw it. "People can't see that?" I asked quietly. Sam shrugged. "I guess not if it doesn't want them to." He raised his phone and activated the camera, using it to study the nest. "It's empty." Dean motioned forward with his chin. "Spread out. Sammy go left." We advanced deeper into the building. Sam moved in along the windows, Adam moved carefully up the center of the floor, and I back Adam up. Dean kept to the right, skirting the entrance to the nest. Advancing slowly, he didn't see anyone, and the only sounds were the humming and occasional sloshing coming from the giant tanks. Coming to a stop near the row of columns, Dean signaled for Sam, Adam and me to wait. He didn't want to go deeper into the building unless they had some idea what they were walking into. The web of pipes and tanks ahead would separate them. "Maybe it's not home…" Adam mused softly. A thump followed by a clang echoed deeper in the building, from the direction of the tanks. Dean grimaced and canted his head to the side. "Somebody's home." He turned to his siblings. "Sammy, we'll go in. Adam and Mia you wait here and make sure it doesn't double back. We need to trap this thing." Adam nodded once and crouched with his back against one of the columns, shotgun held up defensively. I slid next to him, shotgun held tightly in my hand. Sam and Dean lifted their shotguns higher as they proceeded into the wide, open area past the columns. Sam kept to the window-wall, periodically using his phone to scan the area ahead. Dean did the same, pulling out his phone and moving right to thread between the tanks and the inner wall. *Sam's POV* I inched my way along, about ten feet from the outside wall. I hadn't seen anything yet, and no further sounds emanated from the tank area. Dean could be seen moving along the inside wall, behind the huge water tanks. With the humming of the machinery and humidity in that part of the building, the room reminded me of a giant laundromat. We were only a third of the way into the facility, and I began to worry that the creature might slip around behind them through the maze of metal. I glanced back to make sure Adam and Mia were okay. The two of them had proved a capable hunter, but I still found myself worrying about Mia. I smiled briefly to myself. Now I knew how Dean must have felt for so many years. There was a large rectangular machinery housing coming up in front of me. I crouched by the nearest end of it, and raised my camera phone to scan the area. The building widened at that point, forming an alcove on my left, about twenty feet long and similarly deep. The windows stopped at the edge, and resumed on the far side. I was just about to rise and keep moving when a heard movement behind me, followed by a thick, gravely voice. "Hunters. We should have known." The voice was followed by another, similarly gruff voice. "It was only a matter of time." And then a third. "We must kill them before more come." Shit. I turned, seeing five men in brownish coveralls standing only a dozen feet behind me and to my right, just beside the churning water tanks. They were looking at Adam and Mia, and didn't seem to know I was there. I swung my phone up to get a look. On the screen, there were no men, just a grayish-green wall of flesh that appeared to be the creature's hindquarter. A leathery, alligator-like tail as thick as a tree trunk swung almost randomly from side to side. I was too close to look at the rest of it past its two heavy, muscular legs. The creature was focused on Adam and Mia, who were now standing and aiming their weapons. They'd spotted it. I had a clear shot and took advantage. I slipped his cell into the front pocket of my jacket, hefted my own shotgun, and aimed for the huge lizard's back. As my finger tightened on the trigger, Dean appeared on the other side, from between the tanks, and cocked his shotgun. The sound startled the creature, which clearly hadn't been aware of Dean's proximity. I saw the five men turn as one to face my brother. I saw them as well, and Adam and Mia could see Dean was preparing to take a shot. Adam and Mia advanced, hoping to keep the creature's attention forward and then maybe add his own fire to the barrage. Then Dean appeared from behind one of the farther tanks, and all Hell broke loose. The men spun, I was belted aside like a dog toy, and my shotgun went off. The blast struck the mass of pipes above the five men's heads, and water spewed forth like a geyser, dumping gallon after gallon down onto the scene. Dean fell back, shouting my name as the pipes shattered above me, and disappearing behind the tanks. He reemerging farther to Adam's right and Mia's left, along the inner wall of the cavernous room. He headed back toward Adam and Mia, also taking aim at their quarry. *Mia's POV* Any concern I felt about Sam's well-being had to take a backseat. The men's appearance began to shift and distort, and a loud, bellowing roar erupting as they were drenched in water. Their five bodies melded into one as Adam and I watched in horror, brownish jumpsuits dissolving into a rough and leathery grayish-green skinned, dragon-like body. Two legs, clawed feet, and a long reptilian tail dominated the rear of the creature. Two short, two-fingered T-rex type arms sprouted from its scaly, armored upper body, and five long, sinewy necks unfolded, supporting five separate, horned heads each the size of a refrigerator. Each of the heads sported two yellow, snake eyes above a pointed snout and a gaping mouth lined with six-inch teeth. Spiny horns extended back from each side of the ponderous heads, connected by fleshy stretches of skin, reminding Adam of one of the spitting dinosaurs from Jurassic Park. The creature was hideous. It was really strange. and trust me, I've seen weird. "What the f—?!" Adam's exclamation was cut off when two of the heads reared back and gave a thunderous, enraged roar. It marched forward, three of the necks extending, diving directly at me, while the other two curled back, those two heads snapping at each other. Adam stopped staring and lifted his shotgun, firing as the heads rushed toward me. The blast caught two of them almost point blank. The creature reared back, skidding on the wet floor, the heads rising and pulling away from the weapon, though it didn't look injured by the blast, just disoriented. Another blast came from the side, where Dean was coming in fast on his own attack. I shot two of them in the head, and the beast was further stunned. Dean wasted no time himself reversing, running backward toward the cover of the columns and cocking his shotgun for another attack. The creature's disorientation didn't last more than a few seconds, and it thundered forward again. The four flanking heads lashed out to either side, apparently looking for a clean path of attack. The head in the middle rose higher, to what seemed to be the extent of its length, and a puff of thick smoke erupted from its mouth like a cough. I raised my gun. Then the world went sideways. *Dean's POV* I came out from around the rows of tanks and dashed into the open area leading back to the loading dock. I wanted to double back and check on Sam, but the creature was obviously pissed, and that had to take priority, or none of us were going to be okay. Mia and Adam were in serious trouble, if the thing hasn't already got them. From my vantage point on the thing's flank, I could see the whole body. From heads to tail, it was the length of a garbage truck. Most of the bulk was concentrated in its body and necks, with the tail making up almost half its overall length. I angled toward Adam and Mia and the cover of the columns, flanking the oncoming animal and—I hoped—getting into position to catch it in a crossfire. As the various heads lashed out in his direction, Adam and Mia countered with a blast from their shotgun. Good. I raised my own weapon and fired as well. The blasts staggered the creature, but didn't appear to do much damage. Four of the beast's heads flared out, each apparently angling for its own attack, while the fifth reared back and opened its gaping, fang-lined mouth. A puff of oily black smoke belched out. My brain connected the dots before I even realized what was happening. Acting on instinct alone, I discarded my shotgun and bolted ahead in a straight line, pushing my legs as fast as they would move. Adam and Mia were cocking their shotgun for another attack. They had just raised it when I reached them and launched myself. I caught Adam and Mia in a flying tackle that propelled us back between two of the columns. Even as we connected with the hard floor, I rolled, pulling Mia down first, Adam down second (because I knew Adam wanted nothing more than to protect Mia,) then myself against the column and dropping my body over them as a wave of heat rushed past us, breaking against another column, so close I swore my sunburn flared up beneath my shirts. The belch of flame was over almost as soon as it started, but I didn't feel any better. I felt a biting heat in my lower right shin. Looking down, I saw that the hem of my jeans had caught fire. I patted it out quickly. Adam and Mia seemed not too much worse for wear underneath him, but my shotgun lay about fifteen feet in the wrong direction. I pushed myself up and dragged Adam and Mia onto their feet with me. Adam and Mia had thankfully managed to hold onto their weapons. Before we could regroup, one of the snake-like heads nosed around the column from Dean's left. Mia reacted first, flipping her shotgun around and driving the butt of the handle into the creature's snout. It growled and snapped, but pulled back out of sight. Another head came around from the other side, on Dean's right. Adam reacted as well, also flipping the shotgun over and smashing it into the creature's snout. The second head pulled back as well. "Stay!" I ordered Adam and Mia, pulling back and drawing my pearl-handled 9mm from my waistband. I shuffled sideways, firing wildly between the columns at the creature. It seemed to be considering the best way to get at them, but fortunately the heads didn't appear to be all that coordinated. I took cover behind another column, a few feet down from where Adam stood. My brother jabbed at another head that came snooping around the column on his right, then swiveled and fired point blank over his left shoulder, sending buckshot at the center head, the one that belched fire. That shot drew blood. Two of the long, razor sharp teeth were knocked out of that head. It reared back and let out a roar of pain and rage. The other four joined in. Five heads, all feel the same pain, but each can attack on its own? What the hell is this thing? There was no time to contemplate the answer. My eyes traveled up, and I got an idea. I turned to Adam. "Switch!" I tossed my handgun to my youngest brother at the same time Adam tossed the shotgun to me, no questions asked. "Keep it busy!" Mia and Adam wasted no time. They spun and opened fire, aiming not up, but down. They pelted the beast's feet with bullets. The thick skin wasn't easy to penetrate, but the tactic worked. The creature howled and took two steps back, looking down at its feet to find the source of the aggravation. I used the momentary distraction to aim the shotgun up. I fired four times at the mass of water pipes that extended across the ceiling and between the columns, breaching the metal tubing in several places. High-pressure water cascaded down from the ceiling, creating a veritable waterfall between the columns—and between the creature and them. Another belch of flame erupted from the central head, but the torrent of water helped. Steam erupted, blasting out in a cloud between our hiding places, but the flames that got through were considerably less intense than before. The makeshift shield wouldn't last long, though. One of the heads broke through the liquid wall on Adam's other side. He turned the handgun on it and put three rounds into its neck. The creature yelped and the head retreated. Another head—I wasn't sure which one—penetrated the waterfall next to me. I unsheathed the demon-killing knife from my belt and stabbed. The knife drove into its snakelike eye. All five heads screeched in agony, and the head withdrew again, blood gushing from the wound. We had to move. I knew the water wouldn't distract the monster forever, and I didn't know if the water pipes had an automatic shutoff for emergencies. In either case, the thing was pissed and would be coming for their hides, sooner rather than later. I pushed off the column and moved out into the open freight area. Adam and Mia followed. "We've got to kill this thing. The guns aren't doing enough damage," I said, trading weapons with Adam and getting my handgun back. We reloaded while they had the chance. "What about Sam?" Mia asked, looking past the deluge to where my brother had gone down. I heard the concern in her voice, and shared it. I wanted nothing more than to run back and find Sam, but there were five reasons keeping me from doing so. "I know, but we have to deal with fire-breath, first." "Any ideas?" Adam shot back, checking to make sure the beast was still holding back. He could see it through the rushing wall of water, poking and shuffling, probably trying to angle through together. "It's kinda clumsy. I think the heads all…I dunno, think for themselves," Mia commented. "Looks like the only thing they agree on is coming after us." I bit my lip, shifting my gaze around the room. There had to be something we could use. Something that would cause serious damage. He looked behind them at the open freight dock, and cocked my head. The steel door was still open. The heavy, steel security door Nichols had mentioned. With a glance back at the stymied creature, I formed an idea. I faced Adam and Mia again. "Was it my imagination, or was that thing talking before? In English." Mia blinked. "Yeah, sounded like it. Don't ask me where it learned." "That might work for us," I said, pointing at the door. "Here, stand here with me." A buzzer sounded overhead. Lights on boxes near the junction of several water pipes started blinking and flashing. As I feared, the valves probably sensed the pressure loss when the pipes were blasted. Well, it was good timing, despite being bad luck. The water flow slowed, and the creature started probing through the columns again, now that it could see where it was going. I started waving my arms, moving back toward the open door. Adam and Mia followed, clearly waiting to see what Dean was up to. "Hey! Ugly! Over here!" I yelled. Mia looked at me like I was crazy, but didn't object. She followed me with her shotgun ready, both moving back slowly. The creature zeroed in on us, ignoring the slowing but still gushing water. Two of the heads let loose threatening bellows. "Yeah, you heard me!" I shouted, firing off three rounds. Only two hit the undulating necks of the creature, but it was enough to get it moving. It advanced again, edging sideways through the narrow space between two columns. "Yeah, you baklava gobbling assholes! Come get us!" I couldn't be sure they fully understood what I was saying, but they understood enough. As one, they reared up tall and roared, loud enough to vibrate the linoleum flooring. Smoke belched from the center head as the creature lowered itself in preparation to pounce, but it didn't throw fire. It probably wanted to get closer. I wasn't going to give it the chance. He looked at Adam and Mia, grabbing their shoulders and shoving them. "Run!" Adam grasped Mia's arm. The creature launched its heavy body at us, charging forward like an angry bull on both its legs and short arms. The five separate heads finally got their act together, and all snapped forward on their muscular necks, extending its reach by some dozen or more feet. We dashed out through the doorway side by side. Adam and Mia kept going forward into the parking lot beyond, vaulting over the edge of the loading dock without slowing. I grabbed the doorframe and swiveled to my left, diving out of the beast's line of sight and slamming myself flat against the concrete outside wall of the building. The creature, blinded by fury, kept coming. Once out in the open lot, Adam and Mia spun around, brandishing their own handguns and firing at the onrushing beast. At that range, the bullets were about as good as taunts. As the first few inches of snout came into my view from the side, I drove my closed fist into the red emergency button. The seven-inch thick steel door dropped like a stone. *Sam's POV* As my brain swam up through a murky haze, two things occurred to me. First, my head was throbbing like a bitch, and second, my chest was buzzing. It took a long moment, but some small, still-functioning part of my brain connected the buzzing with the vibrate setting of my cell phone. Opening my eyes, and immediately regretting it, I fumbled with his left hand along the flap of his jacket. Finally, my lumbering fingers closed around the plastic case and pulled the phone out. Hitting the button to answer it, I dragged the cell to my ear and mumbled "Hello," or something like it. "Sam? It's Bobby." "Bobby?" I asked dumbly, mind still groping to remember where he was and why my head hurt so much. "Sam, you okay, son?" "Um," I began ingeniously, my brain slowly coming back online. "Yeah. 'Sup?" "I just wanted to tell you, Rufus and I think we might have found something. We were going through one of my old books, and we found something that could have left those tracks, and sorta looks like that video image you emailed this morning." "Okay…" Commotion behind me drew my attention. The sounds of rushing water, shouting, gunfire…and maybe the roar of an angry Tyrannosaurus filled the air. Bobby continued. "We don't know for sure, but we think it could be a hydra." I struggled to my feet and staggered out of the alcove in time to see a twenty foot high reptile charging after my friends. Only belatedly did I realize that Bobby was still talking. "Wh-what?" I asked, struggling to multi-task when half my brain was numb. Bobby spoke more slowly. "Sam, listen close. We didn't think they even existed, but this might be a hydra." Dean, Mia Adam were running full out, exiting the building with the monster right on their tails. I saw Dean dive around the corner of the doorway, where the controls were mounted. At the same time, my mind frantically dug up remnants of the Ancient Greek Mythology class I had taken with Jess at Stanford, a lifetime ago. Hydra. Hydra. HYDRA! In a flash, I read my older brother's mind and saw what was about to happen. I dropped the phone from my ear. "Dean, wait!" It was too late. The security door dropped in less than a second. The heavy metal edge acted like a guillotine, severing all five of the hydra's heads several feet down the necks. I was already moving in that direction. I raised the phone again as I sprinted, all pain forgotten in a horrible moment of clarity. "Bobby, I'll call you back!" I turned off the phone. Maybe. I ran for the door at a full sprint, almost careening into the columns on the slippery linoleum floor. A growing bout of vertigo didn't help, but he managed to keep moving. The hydra's body was still. Sam skidded to a halt by the door and pressed the inside "Open" button without pause. Blood and fluid drained from the severed arteries in the five necks, but the flesh and cartilage were already undulating and pulsing beneath the leathery skin. The door groaned and struggled to rise again, the metal still recovering from the earlier drop. I ducked beneath it as soon as there was enough room. I had to sidestep the remains of the five detached heads, moving around them to the side, careful to avoid touching them as I recalled that, in mythology, the blood was reportedly poisonous. Dean, Mia and Adam were beaming out in the parking lot, burning off their adrenaline. They lit up when they saw Sam emerge from the building. "Thank God! You all right, Sammy?" Dean moved to meet me and pointed at the downed creature. "Did you see it? Slam! Just like that!" We met him halfway as he dropped off the loading dock. I shoved them back when we met. "We have to get out of here, now!" Dean's celebratory grin twisted into a frown. "What? Why?" "Dean, it's a hydra—" "Oh, no!" Mia muttered from behind. Sam turned. The hydra was already climbing back to its feet. The ends of the five necks were twisting and bulging, and from each two identical heads sprouted remarkably fast. They started out smaller than the originals, but swelled quickly to full size. Dean was pulling at Sam's arm, and the four of us had only taken a few steps back when the enraged hydra let out a roar from all ten of its new heads and leapt out of the doorway. It came down in our midst. I was bowled over, landing on my butt about five feet from the angry beast, in the direction of the freight containers parked behind the ozonation building. Dean, Mia and Adam were flung in the opposite direction, toward the distant Impala. The hydra was beyond pissed, and it didn't seem to care who felt its wrath first. Twenty yellow, squinting eyes locked onto him with laser-like focus. Three things occurred to me simultaneously: I was unarmed, I was separated from my brothers and Mia, and I was in a lot of trouble. I spun and bolted, heading for the parked containers, seeking cover. I didn't have to look back to hear the hydra pounding after me. The impact tremors could be felt even as my own feet pounded the pavement. *Mia's POV* I was momentarily stunned. I'd hit the pavement hard enough to knock the wind from my chest. Struggling to my feet, I saw Adam and Dean had landed a few feet from me. "You okay?" Adam wheezed, as he regained his feet. I groaned. Dean coughed, leaning on his youngest brother for support. "Sam?" he called. I spotted Sam racing into the maze of cargo containers, the hydra in hot pursuit. Dean cursed, indignant. "How the hell are we supposed to kill that thing? Decapitation should be enough for anything!" "Hercules burned the necks!" I said instantly. "What?" Dean demanded irritably. I explained frantically. "In mythology! Hercules burned the hydra's necks so the heads wouldn't grow back! Fire, Dean!" "Are you sure?" It was my turn to be irritable. "What kind of question is that? Jesus Christ you are dense! Fire Dean, fire!" The sound of a container crashing across the ground drew our attention. Sam was in trouble, and we didn't have time to work out the details. Dean thought fast. "Okay, come with me." He took off for the Impala, Adam and I right behind at full speed. We cleared the thousand feet or so to the car in record time. Dean jammed his key into the trunk and yanked the cover off the weapons cache. "God, let this work." It took a few seconds, desperately shoving the various guns and blades aside, but Dean found what he was looking for. He pulled the heavy, black weapon out and popped open the magazine to load it. I was gaping at him. "Is that a grenade launcher?" Dean couldn't suppress the grin as he dropped the explosive charges into the revolving chamber. "It was Dad's. He bought this in Mexico like…ten years ago." He reached down and grabbed one of the emergency gas cans and thrust it into both mine and Adam's hands. "Here. Follow the fence line and circle around those containers. Don't let that big bastard see you. Come in from the other side, and try to find Sam." To his credit, we didn't even blink at the orders, even I stopped bitching. I nodded and started moving around the car. "Then what?" Dean pointed to the gas can. "Then you wait for an opportunity. You'll know when you see it." Adam and I took off, bolting in the direction of the containers and the still rampaging hydra. Dean left the trunk open and ran across the lot, back toward when they'd come from, and desperately tried to remember the safe range on his dad's grenade launcher. *Sam's POV* I dove behind one of the ends of a container. They were lined up in rows, forming a maze that I prayed I could lose the hydra in, but so far the angry lizard was relentlessly tracking me. Fear was a motivator, and I knew rage could be, too. The hydra stopped at the other end of the container, all ten heads growling and snarling. It seemed to be trying to decide the best way to outflank him. When it paused, I grabbed some loose rocks off the ground next to me and hurled one to my left as hard as I could. It bounced off a container two rows down with a loud clang. I felt the container I was backed up against rattle as the hydra shifted to find the source of the noise. Encouraged, I hurled another, striking the same container again. The hydra emitted a sound somewhere between a bark and growl. Apparently, I overplayed my hand. The whole container behind me flipped over and violently rolled away, exposing my hideout. The hydra had thrown its whole body weight at it and sent it careening into another row. I took off, sprinting down the length of the next container in line, then diving into a roll at the end. I got to cover just in time as twin gouts of flame from both the hydra's new central heads shot past on either side of the metal container. The heat was intense, and even the cool metal walls of the container started getting warm. When the flames ceased, I didn't wait. I dashed to my right, crossing rows. I went across two, swung left, then turned right and slid to a stop down the length of another container. Only then did I dare look back. So far, so good. Adrenaline was still filling my veins, but my vision was blurring. A knot the size of a grapefruit had formed on the back of my head, and when I probed it, my hand came back bloody. The rapid movement so soon after the concussion was making me nauseous. I wasn't sure how much longer I'd be good for running around. The sound of steel crashing into steel rang out. More containers had been upended, and a cloud of dust was billowing not far from where I had just come. The hydra roared angrily. From the sound, it was slowly getting closer. I could see the concrete retaining wall that marked the end of the lot from where I knelt. I was running out of room to hide. "Psst!" I twisted around. Adam and Mia were crouched at the end of another container, about fifty feet away in the direction of the eastern retaining wall of the plant. My younger brother and my "sister" beckoned me, glancing cautiously around the corner of their own hiding spot. With a quick glance down the aisle, I stood and ran down the row, skidding in beside Adam and Mia. "Hey," Sam panted, clapping both of their shoulders. I noticed the gas can in Mia's hand. "What's that for? We gonna burn it?" Adam grinned. "Ah, so you did learn something in history class, Stanford!" I sneered at the barb and the nickname. "How do we get close enough?" "We wait for our cue," Mia replied. She motioned for me to follow, but threw my white-knuckled grip on the corner of the container a serious look. Instead, Adam nudged his shoulder under my arm and hoisted me up, supporting my weight as they moved along the back row of containers in the general direction of the Impala and Dean. As they moved, the hydra was still tearing through the rows, seeking me. Then, a new sound joined the mix. In the distance, I heard a muted fwoomp. It was followed half a second later but the loud, heavy bang of an explosion. Then the hydra roared in pain. They came to the end of the row, and from there had a clear view of the new action. We saw Dean standing a few hundred yards downfield, carrying what looked like their dad's grenade launcher. He turned to ask Adam and Mia about that, but their eyes were focused on the bigger problem. The hydra was about four rows up from them, exiting the maze of containers to meet the new attack. Dean fired again, and the second grenade stuck just a few yards short of the advancing beast. The blast staggered it back, and it roared angrily, stumbling against one of the containers. Mia took off from my side before either of us could argue, running directly at the creature. She reared back and hurled the gas can like a discus when she was halfway to the monster. The can spun through the air and slid to a stop perfectly at the hydra's feet. At the same time, Dean fired his third and fourth projectiles. As Mia dived for cover behind one of the containers, the grenades reached their target. I wasn't sure which hit the can, but an explosion shook the lot. When I looked back, the hydra was flat on its back, burning from heads to tail. Dean sent the last two grenades of his six into the burning carcass, blowing it apart. The hydra was dead. The next few moments were a blur. Dean ushered Sam to the Impala, while Adam and Mia ran into the building to retrieve their discarded shotguns. I could walk, but Dean kept a steadying hand under his arm while they moved. "You okay, little brother?" Dean asked as we reached the car. "You took a hard hit." "I'll live," I sighed as they finally reached the passenger side door and Dean eased him onto the seat. "Pretty sure I've got a concussion though. When I looked at that thing, I saw five heads." Dean blinked at him for a moment before noticing my smirk. "You're a real comedian, Sam." I could hear sirens in the distance. Someone must have heard the fireworks and called the police. Adam and Mia arrived carrying their discarded equipment and dumped it into the seat as they climbed in the back. Moments later, the car was moving, and we were already heading for the freeway before I had a chance to put another thought together in my aching head. "Hey Dean?" "Yeah, Sammy?" Dean replied, watching the rear view mirror. I tapped the empty grenade launcher on the seat between them. "I didn't know this thing worked." *Astro Motel, San Bernardino, California, Mia's POV* Dean drove about an hour and a half before stopping at a motel. I doubted the cops were on to them, but we didn't want to take any chances. They got a room in a deserted corner of the building to keep out of sight of the highway. Dean looked Sam over thoroughly, but his brother had survived his run-in with the pipe fairly well. The lump on his head would hurt for a few days, but there was only a small gash. The concussion seemed to be minor, and while his chest and side were bruised from where the tail struck him, nothing seemed broken. Not bad for someone who'd played the baseball to the hydra's bat. Dean tasked me with handling the first aid, since I needed the practice. I helped position Sam face-down on the bed and arranged all the supplies we'd need. As soon as his brothers were settled, I called Bobby. "You sure it's dead?" "Oh, yeah," I stated emphatically. "It's dead. Either it's dead or Dean's getting out of show business." "Well, that's good. Rufus and I had no idea those things even existed, let alone in our neighborhood." I frowned, watching Dean and Adam patch up the cut on the back of Sam's head. "Sam says those things are Greek myths. What are they doing in America, anyway?" "Who knows? The monsters and critters have all been acting funny since the Apocalypse was stalled. But at least we know they exist now. We can be ready the next time one shows up." "Well," I snorted, "you tell Arthur he owes us. And next time, he's the one who hunts the hydra." "Will do." Bobby hesitated. I raised my eyebrows expectantly. "So, uh…are you four headin' back to Baja or what?" I had expected the question, I noted the faint hint of hope in my friend's voice. He wished he had something more definite to tell him. "Don't know yet. We still gotta talk about that." Bobby paused, but I suspected the older man understood. "Well, you let me know, huh?" "I will." I smiled. "Either way." Bobby said his goodbyes. As the phone on the other end dropped away, I heard Rufus' growling voice. "Let me talk to the girl!" "Shut up, Rufus!" Bobby said. I ended the call before I got roped into that domestic dispute. I dropped my iPhone onto the table and strolled over to the bed where Adam and Dean were stitching Sam's head wound. "Ow. Ow. Ow. You're gonna leave a scar!" Sam protested into the pillow, reaching back to stop Adam's hand. "I'm gonna leave a scar on your mouth!" Adam threatened, swatting Sam's paws away. I plopped down in a chair at the table and enjoyed the show. Adam would have made a fair doctor. In another life. "You think it hurts now, Sammy, just wait until he douses that with whiskey." Dean says amused. Several minutes passed in comfortable silence. I wasn't sure how the next moments would go, though. They had some talking to do, and maybe some voting. He didn't know what would happen. Adam seemed to sense something in the room, and he glanced at me briefly in between stitches. "So…where to next?" It was a loaded question. "Well, I'm getting a few hours shut-eye, then hitting that Biggerson's we saw down the street for their breakfast buffet." Dean says. Sam and I chuckled at that. Adam stopped working and sat back in his chair, staring at Sam's back. He didn't look at Dean. "And then?" I can tell Adam wanted back in the game. It was the worst-kept secret in the room. We knew it. He knew we knew. We knew that he knew we knew. Dean exhaled slowly. "Well, if I had to decide…I'd say we head back…." Adam's shoulders fell a little, and despite an obvious effort to hide it, disappointment flared across his face. Dean suppressed a smile and finished his sentence. "For a little while, get our heads cleared, then head to Sioux Falls. Visit Bobby for a while. Maybe see if we can find a poltergeist along the way." Adam looked up at him sharply, openly surprised. He clearly struggled to keep his voice calm. "Really?" "I have to admit, I had fun tonight," Dean added. "No demons, no angels, no BS. Just us versus the monster of the week. I'll be honest, I missed that." Grinning, Adam nodded slowly. "I know what you mean." I laughed and walked over to Adam and gave him a long kiss. Dean sobered, leaning back in his chair. "But it's gotta be unanimous. We're all in, or we're not." We'd worked too long and too hard to scrape a family together, through Heaven, Hell, and all the crap in-between. We weren't splitting up now. He shifted his gaze to Sam, who hadn't spoken, and who was staring down at his knuckles. Adam was looking, too. Sam tilted his head, apparently in thought, then turned slowly to look at Dean. When he spoke, he echoed another conversation from years before. "Saving people, hunting things?" Grinning, Dean nodded. "Yeah. The family business." I looked at him a moment, then looked over my shoulder at Adam, who was waiting for my final answer, and smiled. "I can do that." "Alright, after that insane encounter...Who wants to go back to the beach?" Dean smiles. My head snaps up. "Really?" Dean nods. "That sounds good to me." I change into my pajamas and pull my brown hair into a bun. I slip under the covers and Adam wraps his arms around me. "Night Mia." He whispers in the dark motel room. "Night." I whisper back. *Nightmare* My head snaps up. Sam is standing there. I try to get up, but I'm held by ropes, and I'm tied to the bed. Adam is nowhere to be seen. What the hell? "Sam?" I ask, confused. "Where's Adam and Dean?" "Oh, their around." He says, a smirk etching his lips. I turn to my left. Dean's eyes are wide open, but there's blood running down his face. "Dean? Dean! Come on, wake up!" He doesn't move. He's dead. Dean Winchester is dead. No! Tears run down my face. Sam laughs evilly. "What did you do to him Sam?" I demand. "Nothing." He blinks innocently. "I just...wanted to show how much I love him. We look out of each other, don't we?" "Sam, your insane." I growl. "Am I? Oh really? Says the girl that cuts." My jaw clenches. "Hmm..." Sam sighs irritably. "Where did I put that...Oh! Here it is!" I have to squint in the dark room, seeing only by moonlight, but something sharp glints in his hand. I blink, and I see a chef's knife. "Where's Adam, you bitch?" I yell. Adam walks out of the bathroom. He freezes when he sees us. "Mia? Sa- What's going on?" Adam sounds scared. "Oh hey Adam! Glad you can join us." Adam doesn't reply, and looks over at Dean, who's unmoving. Adam's eyes grow wide. "Dean!" He exclaims. Sam laughs evilly. The son of a bitch is insane! "What did you do?" Adam demands, rushing over to Dean's bedside. "Just had a little fun. It was nice, carving up Dean. His screams were the best." Sam smiles crookedly. What happened to Sam? What made him like this? "You bitch!" Adam roars. "Now, now. Getting a little angry, aren't you? Bad people like you need to be punished!" Sam's scaring me. He's scaring me a lot. Sam moves over to Adam and stabs him in the back. Immediately, Adam falls to the ground. "NO! STOP IT!" I scream. "Mia..." Adam whispers, blood running down his face. "Love...You..." He mutters. "Love you too." I say, sobbing. He doesn't move. Sam turns to me, and the glint in his eyes is maddening. He grabs a towel and cleans off the blood. He moves over to me and rests the blade under my chin. I snap awake, sitting up in the bed, and quietly move to Dean's bed, careful to avoid a sleeping Sam sleeping on the floor. I move over to him and look for blood. "Dean...Dean, wake up..." I whisper. "'M awake." He mumbles. "I had a nightmare..." I whisper. He blinks, stretching his arms. Nightmares are common for the Winchester family. "Ok, you can come in my bed." "Th-thanks." I whisper to him. I quietly move to the other side of the bed. "Want to talk about it?" I nod. "It was about Sammy and you and Adam. I was tied to a ch-chair and I s-saw Sam. I asked for him to help me b-but he ignored me. I looked over at your bed and I saw you dead...Your throat was split open and your eyes were glassy...Oh god Dean, I was s-so scared! Adam came out of the bathroom and saw u-us. He demanded t-to ask what's going o-on. H-he ran over to your bed and we both called him a monster. I was s-so scared. Th-then Sam k-killed Adam, Dean! He killed him! And he said 'I love you' o-one mo-more t-time." I whisper. "Oh, Mia. It's ok, it's ok. It's not real." He whispers, sniffing. Is he crying? I clutch his shirt and bury my face into his neck, my tears staining his shirt. His arms find my back and he holds me closer to him. He kisses my forehead softly. I bury my face deeper into his neck and try to make myself smaller. He moves down to me and gives me a kiss on the forehead, because I'm crying. My hands slip around his neck and I smile like a child would. My hand pulls at his hair carefully. "Do you want to stay here tonight with me? He asks softly. "Y-yes." I say. I sob again. I'm horror stricken and I can barely breathe. All these thoughts are driving me insane. "What's depression like?" Dean asks me softly, as he holds me tighter, blocking me from the horror of the nightmare. I can literally feel the sadness coming off in waves from him. It takes a while for me to reply. What is it like? "It's like drowning, but everyone around you can breathe. You just feel trapped in your own mind, trying to find a way out, when there is no other way. There's the burning sensation in your lungs as you gasp for air, but you can't breathe, kinda like drowning. The silence is defending, but you get used to it after a while. It's a reminder of your pain, your own destruction in a way. You feel worthless and dead inside. Everyone has scars. It's true. I have scars, too. Mine are just on my body as well as my mind." I whisper to him. Dean doesn't say anything. He moves down again and wipes away a tear from my eye. I run my hand though his hair carefully, trying to feel some type of comfort. He allows me to run his hand though his hair. I hide deeper into his shirt, and he rolls on top of me, as if he's my human shield, like he's protecting me. His lips touch my forehead. I allow it, and his weight is held up by his elbows, being careful not to crush me. My hands shake slightly as I move up to him and cup his face with my hand and my fingertips lightly graze over his cheek softly. His eyes close and his hand catches mine. I reach up and give him a kiss on the nose. His weight falls, and he lays on top of me. "I'll never let you go." I whisper. Dean smiles. "And I'll never leave you," "Love you De." I whisper. "Love you too." He smiles. "I-I'm so scared. What if Lucifer is..." I trail off "No, no he's not there. He's not possessing him. Samandriel and Cas would feel it. And if Lucifer really was going to wear Sam to the prom, don't you think that he wouldn't be with us?" He whispers strongly, his arms wrapping around me. I really do like Dean. He's my friend, and I love him, in a way. "O-oh. R-right." I mutter, my arms gripping his back. "How did it feel, when you realized Adam was Michael's vessel?" I ask suddenly. Dean looks at me and moves a piece of hair out of my face and tucks it behind my ear. I stare into his deep green eyes, and I can see stories in his eyes. "I felt guilty, and guilty as hell. I should have realized at the time that I should've done more to protect Adam. He is family, after all. I should've realized that sooner. But I was so wrapped up in other stuff when I should have been paying attention to Adam. It was too late when I realized that. I feel so damn guilty. I should've done more..." His voice breaks. My eyes are sad. This is what Adam was talking about. The sacrifices family that a makes. "The angels promised his mom's life back, and Adam wanted to see his mom so badly. Zachariah, a dick angel, tortured Sam and Adam until I said yes to Michael. I said yes, and ran with Sam instead of Adam. The door closed behind us before Adam could escape. Oh god, we were so scared. We couldn't save Adam in time. We...We thought he was dead. That was my fault. He was pulled into this. It's my fault." He sniffs, and that's when I realize he's crying. I reach up and cup his face, giving him a small kiss on the cheek. He sighs, and rubs my back as if to comfort me. I don't know why, but I feel better now. His head rests on the skin where my shoulder meets my neck. I smile again. "Stay with me?" I ask. "Always." He murmurs. We both wrap our arms around each others back at the same time. His forehead presses with mine and we fight off our nightmares together. "Mia...Mia wake up..." I hear a voice that sounds like Sam. I won't let Sam kill Adam or Dean! I wont let him! I snap awake and my fist collides with his face. Alert, I watch him stumble back. "What the hell?" He asks, clutching his nose. "Go away Lucifer! Get the fuck away from Sam!" I shout. Dean sits up in bed immediately and moves over to protect me. I hide behind his back, scared out of my mind. "Dean? What's going on?" "Answer these questions." Dean snaps. "Dean, what..." "Where is Lucifer?" He demands. "In the Cage with Michael." Sam answers. Dean doesn't seem convinced. "Did you say yes again to him last night?" "No...Dean, what..." Sam is confused. Lucifer needs to get the hell away from him. "Answer the damn question!" Dean snaps. "No." He says. "Let me see your tattoo." Sam's eyebrow raises but he pulls down his shirt, just enough to see his tattoo. No demon? Or angel? "It's okay." Dean says gently, as if not to startle me. "It's safe Mia. Lucifer's gone, and so is the demon." He whispers. My head pokes out from behind his back. "Are you sure?" I whisper. "Positive." He nods. "No Lucifer?" I mutter. "No Lucifer." He confirms. "It's okay," Dean says gently, lifting me onto his lap like someone would do with a child. I can't face Sam, not yet. I turn immediately so Dean's face is inches from mine. I'm scared. "De...Adam...Where's Adam?" I bury my face into his neck again. His hand strokes my back and gives me a kiss on the forehead. "He's in the bathroom." Sam replies. "Keep your eye on him." I say, my voice shaking slightly. Adam walks out of the bathroom, but he freezes when he sees us. "Dean? Mia? Sam? What's going on?" He asks. "Adam..." I mutter. "Dean, Dean! He's alive!" I say, tears running down my face. Adam's alive! "Adam's alive!" I sob. Adam blinks. "Dean...What's going on?" "She had a nightmare." Dean explains. "What was it about?" Dean explains what happened and Adam stares at me. "Mia, you had that same nightmare? Sam killed Dean, then me, then you?" I nod. "It was the same thing with me, but it was reversed." Adam exclaims. "N-no S-Sammy. He's b-bad! It w-was scary. He wasn't himself." I mutter, my arms tightening around Dean's shoulders. "Do you want to go in Adam's lap?" Dean asks me softly. "N-no. I'm scared. Don't want to lose you. Your my friend. Scared De, really scared." I whisper, hiding in his shirt. I think that my toddler genes are still there, in a way. "Sammy was scary. Very scary." I whisper into Dean's ear. He shivers, and my arms wrap automatically around him. I shoot Adam a careful look, and I see no anger, no sadness in his eyes. It's like he understands what's happening. He knows I'm scared. I shoot him a grateful look. We stay silent, and Sam hasn't said a word in a while. "Mia, I'm sorry for whatever I did to you in the dream, to all of you." He says softly. "Scary Sammy, scary." I mutter to Dean. "Oh, sweetheart it's okay, you are safe." He whispers to me. My legs wrap around his waist slowly, pulling him closer to me. I'm still scared. I'm shaking like a leaf. "I'm scared Dean. Want the bad stuff to go away. Adam died...I cried a lot." Dean slowly leans in and presses his warm lips to my forehead, in an attempt for me to stop shaking. I can tell that Adam understands what he's doing, and he allows it. I don't feel any bad vibes coming off him. It's more calm and understanding than anything. I'm surprised he's not jealous. "I understand." Adam says, as if he's reading my mind. "Your scared, your angry, your confused. I understand that." He smiles. I smile at him gratefully. "And I know Dean is trying to make you better. I completely understand." I smile at him again. Adam moves over to the bed and gives me a long, soft kiss on the lips before stretching. "Dean...I'm scared. I haven't had a nightmare that intense before." I mutter to him. "It's okay." I close my eyes and my head falls back. "I don't wanna go near Sammy. Addie's gonna make sure that Sam doesn't hurt him. I'm scared that he might hurt me. Make sure he can't go any knives or guns, please. Deany, want to go get breakfast?" I know I'm probably being overly paranoid, but I don't want anything to happen while I'm gone. I don't think I can trust Sam. Not yet. "Okay." I smile and give him a kiss on the cheek before I go change. I walk out of the bathroom and smile at Dean. "Ready?" He asks. I nod confidently before walking over to Adam and giving him a quick kiss on the lips before walking back to Dean. I pull on my necklace. "Make sure he doesn't do anything bad when we're gone, okay?" I ask again, making sure everything's in order. "Alright. We're going. Bye guys!" Dean says. "Bye bye." I say happily. Dean's hand entwines with mine. "So, what do you want to get?" Dean asks. "Hmm...How about...Dunkin donuts?" Dean smiles. "Sounds good to me." "You can get pie." I grin. "Sweet!" We leave and I skip towards the impala. *Adam's POV* I blink. Mia really is paranoid, even more than usual. Her dream must have scared the shit out of her. "What was that about?" Sam asks. "I don't know, but Dean's big brother instincts must have kicked in immediately. Remember when we would have nightmares and we'd sleep next to Dean? Then his big brother instincts lasted for about a month? It's probably the same thing with Mia." I muse. "I don't know about you. but I officially ship Miean. Damn, we should tell Chuck that." "No. We are not gonna ask him to start publishing again." Sam says sternly, although I can hear a smirk touch his voice. "Adam," Sam says suddenly. "Yeah?" "Are you jealous?" I frown, turning to him. "Jealous?" "Of Dean." I shake my head. I'm honestly not. She's just really paranoid. Dean's been though a lot, and we all have. "So your not jealous of what Mia and Dean have going on." I shake my head again. "No. I understand completely." *Mia's POV* "Hey Dean," I blink. "Yeah?" He asks. "Can I get hot chocolate?" I ask, a small smile playing on my lips. "Sure." He smiles. We drive a Dunkin donuts and an overly perky server walks over to the register. "Hello and welcome to Dunkin donuts! What can I get you?" "Well…" He paused to look at her name tag. "Paige, I'll have a coffee, black, and...What do you want Mia?" "Hmm. Can I have a large hot chocolate with whipped cream, a glazed donut and a bacon egg and cheese bagel, please." She nodded and got our orders. We decided to sit at a table together, just me and Dean. "I'm still scared Dean. I don't know what to think anymore." "Hey, it's okay. We'll get though this." He smiles. His hand reaches over and grasps mine. His finger runs around my knuckles and I blush at the contact of our skin and stare into his eyes. We finish our food and walk to the deserted parking lot. A boy walks up to us. "Hi, pretty lady." The boy smiles. "Um, hi?" I blink. "Wanna come home with me?" My eyes widen. I shake my head. Dean stiffens. "Aw, come on...Please?" He asks, twirling my hair in his fingers. I smack the guys hand away. "Your cute, anyone ever tell you that?" "I have a boyfriend." My voice is even, strong. "Aw, we don't have to worry about him. Now, come with me, or pretty boy over here's gonna die." He pulls out a gun. Our eyes widen and Dean moves over to protect me, but the guy knocks him aside and grabs me. "Dean!" I scream. "No...Mia!" He shouts. "Tell Adam I love him, and I'm sorry!" Tears run down my face. Before he can say anything, the guy drags me away. "Dean! Dean!" Everything goes black. *Dean's POV* Pain shoots through my head. I can hear Mia scream, but it seems distant. 'Something is wrong,' a large piece of my brain screams at me. "Tell Adam I love him, and I'm sorry!" I blink, and Mia isn't there anymore. Her necklace is there, though. "Mia?" I groan. "No!" Everything goes black. *Adam's POV* Dean and Mia aren't back yet, and I think Sam notices too. It's been a while, about six minutes. "I'm gonna call Dean." I dial Dean's number. He doesn't answer. "Dean, where are you? Call me back!" Mia's ringtone fills the room and I answer. "Mia? Where are you?" I pull my phone away from my ear and put it on speaker. "Adam?" She whispers. "I'm scared. Want De." "Mia, where are you sweetheart?" "I don't know. I might not see you or Sammy again. H-he killed De-Dean. Someone killed h-him! De's d-dead! I love you! All of you! I'm so s-sorry. Goodbye, f-forever, Adam." My eyes grow wide. "Mia…" The phone line goes dead. The phone slips though my hand and crashes to the ground. *Mia's POV* I-I'm scared. I want Dean. The guy torments me everyday. I cry a lot. He always tells me that he killed Dean. D-Dean's dead. He actually killed him. I pray to Castiel and Samandriel to help me, but they don't hear me for some reason. The guy gives me new bruises everyday and calls me worthless. I guess I am used to it. I am worthless. He just lets me suffer. *Dean's POV* Rain pours from the sky and it wakes me up immediately. I sit up, my head hurting like a bitch. I blink the dizziness out of my eyes, Mia's silver necklace lays on the ground, glinting in the dark. Was I knocked out for that long? "Mia?" I ask. The events from a while ago slams me. I run to the car and drive to the motel, ignoring the pouring rain that coats my body. I basically kick down the door. Adam's head snaps up. Sam sits up and stares at me, his eyes widen like a fish out of water. Adam and Sam have been crying. We don't say anything. I sit down and put my face into my hands. My fault. It's my fault. "Dean?" Sam asks finally. "What?" I sniff. "Mia…" That makes me snap. I stand up and flip the table, making the lamp crash to the ground. "My fault! It's all my fault!" I scream. Sam cringes. Adam whimpers. "Mia's probably dead, and that blood is on my hands! Her BLOOD is on my hands! I FUCKED UP! I LET DOWN THE PEOPLE I LOVE!" I yell. Adam sobs into his hands. Sam moves over and hugs Adam. Adam sobs into his chest. "Mia's dead Sbmmy." He whispers. "Mia's dead…We ne-need t-to burn her bones." He sobs. Sam kisses his forehead. Adam becomes quiet. "Adam…" He doesn't say anything. "Hey, buddy, look at me. Look at me." Adam looks at him with tear stained eyes. They both take a shaky breath. "We're gonna find her, okay? We're gonna find her." He whispers. "We're gonna find her." Adam holds onto Sam's jacket, face buried into his shirt. I walk over, my anger forgotten, and hug my two younger brothers. "Samandriel, Cas," Sam mutters, "Please watch over her." It's been four weeks. Four weeks of pure hell. We're all taking Mia's death in different ways. Sam tries to keep us together, but our will to move on is slipping away. Sam tries so, so hard, but it doesn't work. Adam hasn't spoken a word or ate anything in a long time. He just stares at the bed, the wall, or the door. I'm getting worried about him. I'm scaring myself too. I walk to the bathroom and lock it. I stare into the mirror, and I see my green eyes stare blankly at me. I feel an urge I can't explain. It takes me a while, but I reconnect what it is I need relief. Mia always says that cutting is a relief. I sniff. My hand moves to my razor. I stare at the cool metal surface. I wonder if it will hurt. My fault. My mistakes. My failures. I huff, exhaling slowly. My hand trembles as I grab my razor. I slowly cut my arm once. I feel relief, like my guilt is lifted off my shoulders. I slice the blade against my arm four more times. More guilt is lifted off my shoulders. I clean the blood off my razor and wipe the blood away. Mia is right. Cutting is a relief. *Mia's POV* I ache everywhere. I groan. The guy beats me, every hour. I can't move. The guy leaves again, to go get me food. I don't care. I don't eat anymore. I will stare myself to death. I've been here for a week. 'Dear Castiel and Samandriel…Please find me…I'm scared. Please tell the boys I'm okay. I want to tell them I love them. Please save me…' Another two days have passed. I barely eat. I cry myself to sleep. I pray to Samandriel and Cas every second. I sob, curling myself up into a ball. I want the pain to end. *Adam's POV* "Adam, buddy, what do you want for breakfast?" I hear Daddy Sammy ask. I don't answer. I have so much sadness in my body. I should've been there to protect her. "Adam?" Daddy Sammy asks again. "Pancakes." I answer deadly. Dean stares at Sam, not blinking. "Dean?" "Pie." Dean mutters. He gets up and walks to the fridge, grabbing two beers. He opens them, and chugs them down in one gulp. "Okay. I'll be back." Daddy Sammy says. "Just don't do anything while I'm gone." Dean doesn't reply. Dean walks into the bathroom and locks it. *Dean's POV* I'm self harming more often. It's a relief. For a little while, I feel better, then I realize she's gone. I create more cuts along my arms. I just don't know what to do. *Sam's POV* I don't know what I'm supposed to do. Adam's becoming quiet, mentally unstable with the loss of Mia. Dean drinks more than usual, drinking beers in one gulp like no man's business, then locking himself in the bathroom, coming out even more depressed every time, until it gets worse and worse. Adam locks himself in the bathroom, exactly like Dean does. I'm worried about them. "Hey Sammy." My eyes grow wide. I slam on the breaks. I turn. Mia sits there in the backseat, smiling. "I'm back." No…I'm going insane. Her death is causing my mind to play tricks on me. "Your not real." "Sure I am." She smiles and cups her hand into my cheek. I feel a sense of warmth wash over me. But there's hole that gets deeper, making the coldness of pain stronger, and the warmth gone. "No...your not." Mia raises an eyebrow and kisses my lips softly. More warmth. "Don't be like that." Oh god. I'm going insane. "It's okay. We'll find you." She shakes her head. "Is this hell for you? For all of you? This pain?" "Get out of my head." Mia rolls her eyes. "I'm a ghost, Sammy. Don't worry. I'm not vengeful. I love you guys. Tell Adam I love him with all my heart and soul. Tell Dean I'm okay, and I love him. Love you Sammy." I'm insane. Cas, Samandriel. Please...please help Mia, we're slipping... We're going insane... *Adam's POV* We're all falling into depression, it's scary. Sammy comes back from the store. He looks upset. "Hi Adam." Sam sniffs. His eyes look haunted. "Get out of my head." He mumbles. I frown. Why is Sammy saying that? Dean sobs and locks himself in the bathroom, again. This is the sixth time in fifteens minutes. I pull my thumb into my mouth and bite on it. Just like a baby would. Daddy Sammy walks over to the bathroom. "Dean, open up." No answer. "Dean, please open up." The door swings open, reveling an upset Dean. "Hello." He mutters. "Dean…" "What?" He snaps. "Here to torment me? Go ahead. I got her killed. It's all my fault." My heart breaks into a million pieces. I walk over to Dean and wrap my arms around him. "She was scared. Oh god, she screamed for me...But I couldn't get up, then-" He sobbed. "Now she's de-dead because of me. I've just added her to the body count." Sam pulls me and Dean into a hug. Their eyes don't shine as brightly as they once did. I pull away and cry. Like Dean, I walk away and lock myself in the bathroom. I grab my razor and cut my arms four times. It hurts but I feel a little better, but it fills the rapidly growing hole. I sob. Looking into the mirror, I see a broken smile and dead eyes. I let my head fall into my hands. A rush of anger fills me and I rip the metal towel rack off and grip it like a baseball bat. Anger courses though my veins. I let out a scream of rage and throw it at the shower, where the glass breaks into a million tiny pieces. "Adam? Are you okay?" Dean asks from behind the door. I don't answer. "Adam?" He asks again. I don't answer. "Adam?" He sounds panicked. I let my body fall to the ground with a heavy thud. "Adam! Adam!" Sam yells. Dean kicks down the door. I haven't killed myself. Is that what their worried about? That I'll kill myself? I sob. Dean scoops me up in his arms, holding me close. "Adam, Adam buddy what happened?" "Mia…" I whisper. Dean carries me and places me on the bed. "Hello." Samandriel says suddenly, standing by the door. We all turn, and I chock on air. Where the fuck has he been? Where has he been when we've been suffering for more than four weeks? "Samandriel, where have you been!? We've been praying! WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN?" Samandriel stays completely calm. He looks at us individually, no fear in his eyes when we screamed. "I have been looking. My brothers and sisters have been, too. We cannot allow something like this to happen again. It is too dangerous." He says evenly. Confusion crosses our faces. "Looking? For what?" We all ask at the same time. My heart races, and my breath quickens. "I think you know." Samandriel says. My eyes widen as realization punches me in the face. "No…You-You can't be serious!" "Yes. It is true. That is why we did not answer your prayers. We've been looking, and we finally found what we're looking for, the reason you've…" He trails off, looking uncomfortable. The reason why we've been suffering. For me, not eating. I do not know what hell Sam and Dean have been though. "Looking? Looking for what?" Dean asks again. Samandriel looks at Dean straight in the eye, unblinking. "It's not a what. It's more of a who. The person we have been looking for is Mia." It feels like someone just punched you in the gut and started chocking you, or you just got shot. The wind gets knocked out of you and you double over in pain. I feel like the world just stopped and I can't breathe. Dean's eyes widen as big as a fish out of water and Sam's mouth is open widely. "M-Mia?" Dean whispers. "But…" "She is alive, but barely. She is losing hope. She believes you are dead, Dean. She also believes Adam and Sam are dead. You three have to save her." The world stops. She is alive. Mia is alive! "Mi-Mia?" Sam mutters. "Yes. It is true. We've found Mia." "Y-you need to take us there, now." Dean says. "Dean, wait. We need a backup plan." Sam says, but I can tell he wants to go right now, but he wants to think logically. Sammy always does. "I got one." Dean says nonchalantly, grabbing a silver knife, his gun and bullets. My eyes widen. "Dean, your seriously not thinking about…" "Yes. I am. The son of a bitch needs to die. He deserves to die after the grief he's caused us." I agree, but I don't want to kill him. He's not a supernatural monster. He's a human being. A poor excuse for one, but he's human. "Dean, we're not going to kill a man!" Sam argues. "Oh, and why not?" He snaps. Sam, taken aback, steps back in alarm at the fiery look in his eyes. "You know the hell he's put us though, what he did. He's changed us, physically and emotionally. I can see your eyes. Your eyes don't shine as brightly as they once did. They stopped shinning when you heard Mia got taken. You try to keep us together, but your falling apart yourself! I can see you right through you, Sam. I know you like the back of my hand. You miss Mia! I have to live with the guilt that this is all my fault! I let her get taken! Adam's slipping even more off the deep end! He misses her so much he can't take it! Look at what he did in the bathroom, Sam! He ripped off the metal towel rack like it was nothing! He misses her so much it hurts! There's a deep, dark hole growing in the pit off our stomachs and it's growing so fast you wont be sane for much longer! You miss her, I know that. We all do, Sam! Don't you dare think that this is your fault! It's mine! How can I live with the fact that I could have gotten her killed? I could never live with myself! We need to end this, once and for all, so no one else gets taken again!" Dean screams, tears running down his face like a river, and Sam swallows loudly. "We will talk about this later, once we save Mia and make sure she is safe. Agreed?" There's no room for discussion or objection in his voice. It's now or never. "Samandriel, take us, now." Samandriel nods. We close our eyes and we stand outside a house. "This is the place." "Thank you, Samandriel. You can leave now. We will call you if we need you." Samandriel nods and he leaves. We all look at each other. "Ready?" Dean asks. Me and Sam nod. We look around and make sure the cost is clear. Once we know it's safe, Dean takes out the lock pick and quickly opens the door successfully. Dean motions for us to move around. Sam moves towards the kitchen, Dean goes upstairs, while I go to the basement. Cautiously, I move up the down the steps, towards the basement. I quickly but quietly step down the hard wood steps, in case Mia's kidnapper is here downstairs with me. I don't hear anything. No sounds. All I hear is the sound of my heart beating. When my foot hits the last step, I cautiously move over, and in the dim light of the basement I can see a figure. Mia. My heart jumps into my throat. Her hair is knotted, blood runs down her face and stains her clothes. She doesn't look like she's moving. "Mia, Mia!" I yell, running over to her and dropping next to her. She doesn't speak, or move. Panic washes over me. "Sam, Dean!" All the sudden, I'm yanked off of Mia and pinned into the wall behind me. My gun is knocked out of my hand. "Hello. Coming to save your friend?" A man, who I assume is Mia's kidnapper, asks. I grunt. "Sorry, can't let that happen. She's mine now, not yours. She's a whore for liking you. She's a bitch and she can't do anything right. She's worthless...And I hurt her. I broke her in ways even she won't be able to understand, ever." I want to laugh. How wrong he is. I gasp for air, trying to breathe. I have to save Mia. "She's dead, and I killed her." He smiles. Anger mixed with adrenaline courses though my veins. "She died screaming, begging for mercy. And I put her down like a sick dog." The guy chuckles darkly. "And now, I'm gonna kill you." *Dean's POV* I hear Adam calling my name. Oh god, something's wrong. I run down the stairs and I see Adam being strangled by Mia's kidnapper. Mia lays on the floor about a foot away from him. She doesn't look like she's breathing. "Hey!" I yell. The guy turns, and smiles. "More prey!" He says delightfully. He turns back to Adam and continues to strangle Adam. "Your little girlfriend over there is dead. I put her out of her misery like a sick dog." No! I grab a crowbar and slam it against the guys head five times, each time harder that the last. Blood forms on crowbar. The guy falls down, unconscious. "That'll teach you not to mess with our family, bitch." I growl. I turn and throw the crowbar on the opposite side of the room, where it crashes into the wall. I turn and run to Mia. "Guys?" Sam's voice calls from upstairs. "We're okay!" I call. Sam runs down the stairs and freezes when he sees us. "Mia!" Sam runs over to us. I hold Mia in my arms, crying softly. "I'm so sorry, Mia." I mutter. A tear slips from her eye. "I got you, I got you. Your gonna be okay. I promise. We're gonna get you out of here, okay?" Her eyes begin to close. "Mia, hey, sweetheart, stay with me." Adam breathes. Mia's eyes close more. "Mia, Mia! Stay with me!" Adam yells. "Always, Adam. I love you…" She whispers, barely audible. "Love…all…of…you...I'm…sorry…" She breathes. A small shaky smile crosses her lips, and her eyes close fully. "Mia!" Three voices sound like one as we scream. "SAMANDRIEL!" Adam yells. Samandriel stands there and Mia is in his arms immediately. Samandriel closes his eyes and we're back in the motel room. *Adam's POV* He places her on the bed and looks at her sadly. "She's not going to be the same when she wakes up…She will be traumatized and have the brain of a three year old girl from so much traumatizing memories, past and present, she will be there physically, but not mentally." My heart beats faster. "You mean she'll be brain dead?" I swallow. "I do not know that for sure. If I heal her when she is a teenager…It could kill me, she's so scarred. It might be a good idea if I turn her into a toddler...Then if I heal her when she's a toddler…That could work. Do you agree with me turning her into a toddler?" Sam, Dean and I all look at each other. An understanding passes though us and we nod. "Whatever it'll take to get her better." Samandriel nods and his wings flutter. A high pitched whine fills the air. Samandriel nods. "Yes, we cannot let her get taken again. Lilith could find her if I don't do this…I understand. Yes, immediately." He turns back to us. "This will weaken me greatly, so I might not return to heaven until my powers are back, which could be quiet some time. Is that ok?" We nod again. He places his hand on Mia's forehead, another high pitched whine fills the air and Samandriel stumbles. "Samandriel!" I yell, catching him before he falls. He groans. "I am…fine…" He groans again. "Here, lay down." I put him on the other bed. He sighs. "Thank…you Adam." He mutters. "Samandriel, when will be become at toddler again?" "Tomorrow..." He mutters. His eyes flutter once, close, and he is asleep. "Wow…That must have really drained him." I look at Mia's peacefully sleeping figure. "Guys, it was my fault…" Dean whispers. "Dean-" "I'm sorry." He whispers. He gets up and goes to the bathroom. "Sam, what are we going to do?" I ask. "I don't know. But we're not going to let Mia out of our sight, ever again." Sam says, wrapping me up in a hug. "Sam, I'm scared." I whisper. "We'll get through it. We always do, don't we? I mean, we stopped the Apocalypse, right?" He asks softly. "Yeah, and look what that got us." I say darkly. Sam doesn't say anything, he just looks at Mia. "Do you think she knows about what happened? Us being soulless? Everything?" I wince. "Doubt it." I say evenly. "I know. I'm just thinking that…Maybe she does deserve to know. I mean, we've known her for what, nine and a half months? I think we should tell her." "I agree." I tell him. I lean against Sam and bury my face into his chest. "I'm scared, Dean locks himself in the bathroom and I don't hear anything. All I hear are sobbing and sniffing. I'm worried about him..." I mutter. Sam wraps an arm around my back. I feel better, just a little bit. "Hey, we'll get though it, like we always do." "I know we will." I wake up to a tugging on my shirt. "Auggie! Wake up!" I roll over and see a toddler Mia right next to me, sucking on her tiny thumb, her blue eyes blinking innocently. And here we go again. "Hi sweetheart." I say softly, being careful not to wake up my sleeping brothers and Samandriel. "Hi's! Cn I goes ands wake up De's?" I nod. Mia tries to get up, but her tiny feet won't allow it. She plops down on the bed with a giggly 'oof!' And her head rests on my stomach. "Hehe! Your tummy makes sounds likes doggies growls! Bark barks!" She squeals. She buries her face in my stomach, making a breathy, winded laugh slip out of my mouth. "Yes it does, sweetheart." I smile. Mia looks up with her big blue eyes. "Come on's. De's waiting for funnies." She says, reaching up and whispering in my ear softly, giving me a big kiss on the nose. She holds up her arms and blinks up at me. "Ups." I pick her up and walk to the opposite bed. Mia crawls on top of Dean. "De's...wake up." She murmurs. Dean moans softly. "De wake up." She says quietly. Dean turns over onto his side. "Wake ups…" Dean snaps awake. He blinks a few time before smiling. "Hey sweetheart." He mutters, rubbing her cheek, which causes her to giggle. "Hi Dean! Auggie is hot!" She laughs. Our eyes widen, while I blush madly. "Where'd you hear that word?" Dean asks, raising an eyebrow. "Dreams about…um…bweach and swims! Hots! Water on me and giggling! Auggie gave me hard kisses on lips and I likes it," she points to her lip. "And you and Sbmmy smile! Then De's tackles Auggie and said dramatically 'I love yous!' And I gots ups and got pushes Dean offs and got on tops of Adam and kisses hards and Auggie wraps arms around back and I smiles…Then I fells head on Auggie's chest and he's wraps hands around my back and flips over so Auggie was protecting me from sub and gave me soft kisses everywhere. Was happy." She smiles. Dean blinks. I blush even harder. "Where's Sambells?" I assume Sambells is Samandriel. "He's over here," I say, motioning to the couch. "De's comes over and plays with us! Wakes up Sambells and gives kiss." "Okay sweetheart." I pick Mia up and walk quietly over to the couch where Samandriel sleeps. I place Mia on him and she smiles and gives him a kiss on his forehead. Samandriel wakes up and sees Mia on his chest. "Hi Sambells!" "Hello Mia." He smiles, sitting up and holding her in his arms. She squeals and rubs his cheek. "Alfie likes baby Mia." Samandriel muses. Dean smiles and rubs the back of his neck. "She thinks Adam is…nice and smells like…Ice creamed and pie?" Dean lets out a chuckle. "That's my pie loving toddler!" "She thinks Dean is pretty and a big brother and she can see your happiness. She loves you and couldn't be happier." He talks silently with Mia before frowning at Dean. "She says Dean's nose is cute? She wishes to poke it?" He says it more of a question. "She wants too…What? Um…" Samandriel frowns. "To sit on cute puppy?" Dean laughs. "You mean Sam?" Mia nods, then shakes her head. "You want to…Kiss me?" Dean and I chock on air. "What is a kiss?" Mia rolls her eyes and leans in a pecks his lips. Samandriel frowns. "Alfie says that says I'm an innocent cupcake...?" Mia giggles. "Moosey!" She laughs, clapping her hands together. It takes everything I have not to laugh. "Ad's! Ups!" She smiles. I lift her up out of Samandriel's arms and crouch down to Sam. "Downs!" She giggles. I set her down on Sam's chest. Sam immediately snaps awake, but smiles when he sees Mia. "Hey sweetheart." He smiles. Mia grins. "Auggie's hot!" I blush again. Mia explains what she told Dean and Sam laughs. "Aww! That's sweet." I blush again. "Ad's! Ups. Kisses!" She giggles, then shakes her head. "Nooo. Sbmmy luvesy me!" Sam smiles. "Saw pretty girl tonight, Sbmmy!" Sam raises an eyebrow. "And who was that?" "J-Jes-Jess!" His eyes widen. "Jess?" He whispers. "She hads weddjing wing on's and she holding her tummy! She wooks happy and yous was smiley! De's had wing on two! Hads pretty girl with wing on! Was big girl! Auggie carries me and both hads wings on! Was happies! I hads a big tummies! Thens gave long hard kiss on lips! Cries happy twears!" She explains, crawling on Sam even more to give him a kiss. "Awws. Is Sbmmy crying? Are you hurt?" She asks, slightly panicked. "Noo. My Sbbmy will not hurts! I will make bad monsters from ground goes away! Stop hurting Sbmmy and De's and Auggies!" She shouts at the ground. The room goes silent and still. "Mia, sweetheart, where did you hear that?" "Dreams about it! White eyes girl says my fault…worthless and stupid. Cries and says yes to stop pain. Tree of yous were in pains and I say yes to stops pains! Did good thing! Mades it awl better! Saves Sbmmy and De's and Auggie's from bad monsters! White eyes girl smiles, then blackness…Then no heartbeat." She whispers. She suddenly lights up. "Buts you tree awl better! Makes me happy to sees you awl better. You are my family." Mia blinks again. "And I love you. I'd die for you three." She smiles sweetly. "Auggie lovvess mee." She grins. "But Sbmmy scared." She whimpers. "Go away's Luci! Bad Mikey! No hurts Auggie and Sbbmy! I wills kills you!" She shouts suddenly. "Bad Willith!" Sam takes a shaky breath. "Mia, can you play on the bed while the grownups talk?" She smiles, and pets Sam's hair curiously. "Carrys me Sbmmy!" Sam picks himself up and carries her to the bed. "Tucks me into bed, swilly!" Sam smiles and tucks her into bed. "Nooo...Gives me kisses for goodnight and no vampeys bite!" Sam chuckles and gives her a kiss on the forehead, then walks over to us, and his smile evaporates quickly. "What the hell?" Dean asks. "I believe Lilith is trying to get Mia to say yes by torturing you three in her dreams." Samandriel says. "That'll never happen, right? She'll never say yes, right?" I ask. "Never." Sam, Dean and Samandriel agree. I nod. "We'll make sure she doesn't crack." "Samandriel, I have a question," I ask. Samandriel turns to me. "Yes, Adam?" "Why does Mia get sent up to the attic when she dies?" I swallow. Samandriel doesn't miss a beat in his answer. "Castiel, myself and some other very high ranking, very powerful force, higher up than celestial beings, we do not know what, sends her up there, to keep her away from Lilith and the horrors of hell." Mia moans. "Noo…Bad! Stop it..! Don't hurt them…Lilith, stop it! Please!" She whimpers. Our heads snap up and we run to Mia's bedside. "I…No! ADAM!" She screams my name so loud the glass of the windows vibrate. "Stop it…" She whispers. "Ye-" That's when I'm snapped out of my stupor and yell her name. "De…Sbmmy" She sobs. "No! STOP IT LILITH!" She yells. "Mia, Mia, sweetheart, wake up…" I wrap my arms around her. Mia doesn't respond. She goes limp in my arms. My heart races. "Mia, Mia sweetheart, Mia, wake up!" Sam gives her a kiss on the forehead. "Mia…Wake up sweetheart…" He whispers. I realize he's crying. I swallow. He thinking the same thing I am. "Mia…" Dean sobs. "Lilith…" She whispers. "My answer…is…Ye-" "SAMANDRIEL!" We scream. He understands. Samandriel snaps his fingers and Mia snaps awake. She screams. She screams so loud it scares me. I stumble back and back up, surprised. Mia frowns. "Mom?" *Mia's POV* "Mom?" I ask weakly. "Hello Mia." "Mom…I almost said yes." I sob. "I don't want my friends to get hurt." "Mia..." she says, rubbing my cheek softly. "You can't say yes. You know what'll happen." She whispers. "I know…And I won't. I won't let Adam down, he's my friend. I love him too much." She smiles. "Do you like it here? You have everything you want. Me, your brother and sister, Sam, Adam and Dean, and your children…" The babies from my last trip to the attic appears next to her, the girl with blonde hair and icy blue eyes sits in my lap. "Hi sweety. I'm your mommy." I whisper to her. I smile. "Is this what you desire?" My mom asks me. "Yes…" I smile. "I love Adam so, so much, but I want to wait to have kids." My mom nods approvingly. "Thank you Mia." She touches my forehead and moves a strand of hair from my face. "I am protecting you from Lilith…" She whispers. "I love you mom." She smiles, gives me a kiss on the forehead and I wake up. *Adam's POV* Mia moans, and I hold her close. "I won't let him down…" She whispers, a peaceful smile crosses her lips. "Yes…" Our eyes widen. My mouth opens to scream, but Samandriel covers my mouth before I can scream. Mia moans. "Hey sweetheart…" She blinks. "Auggie!" She smiles. "No more bad people?" She whispers. "No more bad people." Sam confirms. Mia stares at Sam, then at Dean. "Sbmmy and De's alive!" She says, blinking tears out of her eyes. "It's my birthday in two days!" I blink. Mia never mention a birthday before. "Really?" She smiles. "Yup! But Daddy called me bads words lasts times it was my birthdays. Haven't spoken about birfdays in a whiles." My jaw clenches. "Called me words, cried." Oh. Mia looks down, bottom lip pouting. "Samandriel, can you put an enochain on her ribs?" He nods. He moves over to her bedside. "Sambells, are symbols on ribs goods?" She blinks, after he's done putting the carvings on her ribs. He nods. "Castiel, can you change her back?" Sam asks softly. "Immediately?" He asks. "Yes." "Okay, can you step outside?" We nod. Once we're out the door, we look at each other. "Mia almost said yes..." Dean mutters. I swallow. "But we're here to keep her from saying it." Sam says. "But for how long?" "As long as we're here, she won't." Castiel opens the door and nods. "She is okay." We run back into the motel room. Mia sits on the bed, and frowns at us. "Who are you?" Mia doesn't remember us. Mia. Doesn't. Remember. Us. My eyes widen and we stare at Mia. "Do you know who we are?" She stares at me, then Sam, then Dean. "Michael, Lucifer, and…Dean?" Our eyes widen so much I'm afraid they'll pop out of our sockets and roll on the floor. "Lucifer is supposed to be in Hell!" She screams at Sam. Sam backs up. She gets up and stares at Samandriel and Cas. "HE IS SUPPOSED TO BE IN HELL!" She screams, glaring at Sam once again. She stares at me. "Michael is in Hell with him! What are you two doing out!?" What the hell is going on? "Dean Winchester," She turns to Dean, icy shards in her eyes and voice. "You are dead." Silence falls over the room as Mia and Dean have a staring contest with each other. Mia wins because after a while Dean blinks. "Mia," Dean says shakily, "Do you know who he is?" He motions towards Sam. "Lucifer. Heavens rebellious angel, destroyer of all, nonbeliever of The Lord. As the second archangel, he is the younger brother of Michael and the older brother of Raphael and Gabriel. According to Gabriel, he was God's favorite celestial, but when God asked for all angels to bow down to humanity, Lucifer refused. He waged a war against God but was banished to Hell by Michael. Current status, trapped in Lucifer's cage with Michael, fighting with his brother for all eternity. Current innocent occupants, Samuel Winchester and Adam Milligan Winchester." She replies. We blink. What…? Dean clears his throat. "Do you know who this is?" Mia stares at me. "Michael, the eldest archangel, making him the oldest angel in creation. He was the Viceroy of Heaven in God's absence, and is one of the most powerful beings in the universe. He commanded the Heavenly Host, God's Army of Angels, before he fell into the Cage with Lucifer. As the highest-ranking archangel, he issued the commands, which went to the higher-ranking angels to disperse the orders down across the angelic chain. During the War In Heaven in the distant past, Michael banished Lucifer from Heaven on God's command, later restricting him to a Cage bound by The 66 Seals. On Earth, he appears using John Winchester as a vessel to interact with Dean Winchester. There, Michael informs him that anyone in the Winchester bloodline, which includes Adam Milligan Winchester, half brother to Sam and Dean, is capable of being his vessel, even though he mentions that Dean Winchester is his one true vessel. He eventually occupies his younger brother, Adam Milligan Winchester's, body while confronting Lucifer, who was using Sam as a vessel. When he falls into the Cage, Heaven loses stability and is results in a large civil war between Raphael and Castiel, among other angels. When Dean repeatedly said no to Michael, the angels promised Adam's mother's life back, but they lied. They only wanted Adam to say yes to Michael so the greatest battle in angelic history could commence as written long ago. Presently, Michael is still trapped in the Cage with Lucifer, Samuel Winchester and Adam Milligan Winchester. They should have protected him better, then he would not be stuck in Hell in a war he didn't belong in. Not really." She answers without missing a beat. My stomach churns. I am not trapped with them. We are not trapped with those assholes. "Mia, I am not trapped with them, and neither is Sam." My brothers tried so, so hard to protect me. But that really didn't work out as expected. Guilt stabs at Sam and Dean's faces, I can see it in their eyes. She frowns at me. "No…That's impossible!" The look on our faces set her off again. Mia turns to Castiel. "Castiel, they are distressed." Mia sighs. Damn right we are. "It is becoming painful for her to see them like this." "But-" Mia smiles sweetly. "I will be fine." "Gemma-" "I understand you fear for her, and I will obtain another vessel. I cleared the nightmares about Lilith." Gemma/Mia says. Samandriel nods. "Good." "I will be back." Gemma closes Mia's eyes and Mia tilts forwards and backwards. Before she can fall, I run up to her and catch her. Mia's blue eyes blink lazily open. "Mia?" I whisper. "Adam…" She sighs. "I'm glad you saved me." I don't say anything, but I lift her chin up and my eyes meet hers. My lips connect with hers before she can say anything else. *Mia's POV* "I love you, Adam." I said as I pulled away and stared into his blue eyes. "I love you, too." He whispered back. I look over at the clock and it reads 2:17A.M. All the sudden, I felt tired. I yawned loudly and felt heat rise to my cheeks. "Sorry." I blush again. "No, it's okay." My friends say quickly. My arms wrap around his shoulders and I entwine my fingers in his and rest my head on his shoulder. Dean yawns and stretches. "Well, I'm hitting the hay." "Goodnight everyone." Samandriel and Cas say at the same time and they leave with a flap of their wings. Dean goes to the bathroom to change. Sam and Adam get changed after him. After I get changed, I fall into mine and Adam's bed, Adam's arm finds my waist. "Love you…" He whispers to me, his warm lips finding the back of my neck. I smile and flip over so I am facing him. "I love you too Adam." Sam and Dean fall asleep and are snoring within seconds. Adam kissed the top of my head. That wasn't enough for me though. I stretched my neck so I could reach his lips with mine. It was soft at first but I needed more. I parted my lips, letting his lower lip slip between them and lightly nibbled on it with my teeth. That was all he needed. His lips shaped to mine, our tongues tasting one another. My hands were pressed up against his chest, my nails starting to dig into it. I could feel goose bumps spreading and my heart started to beat a bit quicker as he moved up my jaw line trailing soft kisses as he moved across my skin. He just lightly grazed my lips as he passed them before moving across to the other side of my jaw and down my neck once more. "Did you miss me too, Mia?" He asked between the kisses. "Uh-huh," I gasped as I melted into him. He brought his head back up and rested his forehead against mine. "Good." He tried to pull himself back but I wrapped my hands tighter around his neck, looking up at him with pleading eyes not wanting this moment to end. He brushed his lips against mine and I could feel a smile across it as I pressed back against him. Knowing I would not have long before he pulled away again, I parted my lips slightly tasting his lips with the tip of my tongue. His soft kisses became urgent and he pulled my body closer to his lifting me up on top of him, earning a quiet moan from me. I ran my hands through his disheveled hair now as my lips shaped to his. Adam pulled back eventually, breathing heavily as he lowered me back to the bed littering my lips with light pecks. We looked into each others eyes again and our lips connected again. It was a deep and passionate kiss that lit a fire deep inside me. I reached my arms around him and pressed my body against his, caressing the muscles that flexed across his back. His hands left my face and moved their way slowly down the side of my body, resting on my hips pulling me even tighter against him. I expected him to pull away as usual but was pleasantly surprised when he didn't. I took advantage of this and lightly nibbled on his lip, and I think I actually heard him growl under his ragged breath. He lowered his hand down my hips and gripped my upper thighs before pulling me up, resting my thighs on his hips. My body reflexively wrapped my legs around his waist and I let out a throaty breath as I felt my stomach knot. "You are beautiful." As he said that last word his lips came crashing into mine, not in a soft and romantic way, but with desperation and lust. Like I was water to a man that has gone without a drink for days in the hot desert. His tongue tasted mine as they danced together. I broke free of his grip reaching around his neck and grabbing a fist full of his hair, pulling him closer to me. His lips touching my face, my neck and my collarbone leaving a trail of heat behind them before coming back to my lips once more. He used the arm that was still wrapped around me to pull the rest on the way on top of him pulling me into a tight embrace, my legs straddling over him. It felt like I had a thousand butterflies fluttering in my stomach and I could feel my face turning a bright crimson. Adam kissed me gently on the lips making the butterflies increase. "Good or bad?" I was lost in this moment of pure bliss, giving into my body's natural reaction I let out a small moan. Adam more in control of his urges than myself, as usual, managed to pull away, giving me a peck on the lips. I felt disappointment sweep across me. I cupped my hand onto his cheek and I stretched up on the tips of my toes and wrapped my hands behind his neck, pulling him closer to me. His lips parted granting me the access I wanted. My senses were overwhelmed with Adam. I could smell him, feel his warm body wrapped around mine and I could taste him. Without breaking contact Adam swept me up in his arms and lowered us down to the mattress. We lay on our sides facing each other, one hand in each other's hair holding our faces together. My free hand was running up the side of his arm tracing the curves of his bicep. Our legs twisted together with my leg on top. I lifted my knee up his leg, my bare skin against the cotton of his sweat pants, resting my thigh on his hip. Adam groaned in response, his free hand reaching for my bare ankle. His lips broke from mine and I let out a whimper of protest. Adam let out a throaty chuckle, his lips moving to my neck, his hot breath against my skin. "Do I frustrate you?" Before I could response his lips were at my neck, gently sucking and nibbling at my skin. I squeezed his shoulder with my hand and arched my neck back in response. His hands gripped my hips and spread them apart gently, grazing softly at the hallow of my hip. Adam's lips traveled to every inch of my neck and collarbone before coming back to my lips, his kiss deeper than I had ever felt. There was a deep burning in the center of my body but where he touched me felt like it was bursting into flames. His hand that had once been gripping my ankle was now slowly moving its way up my leg, fingers lightly tracing their route, barely touching my skin but the contact was enough to continue the burn. It was like someone had lit a match to a trail of gasoline that went the length of my leg. His hand paused at the bottom of my t-shirt which was now resting at the top of my thigh. My breath caught as his hand crept under the shirt and slowly up my hip, fingers grazing the side seam on my panties before inching up my side. Adam's lips broke from mine so I could take a breath. I opened my eyes and found his sapphire ones staring back at me, so close the tips of our noses brushed against each other. They were burning. His hand had come to a stop at my ribs, his thumb was rubbing small circles, careful not to touch any vital spots but teasing at its closeness. I closed my eyes trying to focus my thoughts but was unable to think of anything but his hand. Our lips were brought together again. It was the slow burn kiss. The one that slowly took over my body. His hand moved between my shoulder blades and pressed my body against his, only the thin material of his shirt separating us. Adam pulled his lips back once more, I leaned forward to bring them back but was met with soft pecks instead. He kissed my lips, my cheeks and even my eyelids before resting his forehead against mine. He took a deep breath, held it for a moment and let it out. I gripped his shoulders and smiled. His hand traced the waistband of my panties and I closed my eyes. His finger tips grazing the skin. I moan and run his hand though my hair. Adam sighed and I gripped the hem of his shirt. He smiled and reached up to give me a kiss on the lips. The kiss was slow and it burned like fire yet again. Adam took off his shirt and I felt heat rise to my cheeks. Adam gave me a long rough kiss on the lips that made me pant for breath. He pulled away but I crashed my lips against his again. My tongue ran over his lip carefully and Adam smiled. Our tongues danced together and I swung my leg over him. The fire grew brighter in my stomach as his hand traced the t-shirt I was wearing before finally pulling it off. I immediately covered my body, feeling self conscious. Adam gave me a kiss on the lips. "You are beautiful. Please don't cover yourself." He whispers. I slowly move my hands away from my body. His breathing hitched in his throat. "I love you so, so much." His lips attached to my neck and it sends volts of pleasure around my body. He pulls away and I moan, wanting to feel his warm lips on mine. He crashes his lips onto mine for about three minutes before we have to pull up for air. His arms wrap under my breast line, rubbing in soft circles that made me moan a little bit. "You need to get some sleep," Adam whispered, his voice heavy with lust. "We've been up all morning." I looked at him confused, not expecting even his self control to be able stop what we were doing. Maybe it was only me that felt that way though. I pulled my leg off his body to rest at my side and I broke my gaze from his. "Did… Did I do something wrong?" It was barely a whisper. I was not sure he even heard me at first. His hand moved down my spine, stopping as it reached the top of my panties, following the seam to my hip, grabbing the material in his fist. He pulled my hips against his body so I could feel him. I looked back up at him, his eyes half closed. His hand ghosted over the waistband of my panties, his fingers dipping in slightly, before inching downwards to my most sacred area. A moan erupted from him, but it was quickly drowned out by mine, relishing the feeling of his hand. I bucked my hips and whimpered. I could feel him grin. His hand moved slowly around my area, and I moaned again. His free hand slowly pulled the material of my panties down my hip. He smiled. "Trust me Mia," he said. "You did everything just right." He kissed me lightly but doesn't release his grip. His hand dipped down more. His lips attached to mine. "I don't want to rush anything. It may be corny… but I want it to be special." He says. "Of course it will be special. It will be with you." There's a glint in his eye now. "I also need more time to do what I want to do with you… more time than we have tonight." "Ohhh…" I blushed profusely. "I love you Mia." "I love you Adam." Adam rolled onto his back and I curled up onto his side, resting my head on his chest. I listened to his steady heart beat wondering how long it would take for me to fall asleep, still worked up from our activities. I closed my eyes and focused on the beats. I looked at the clock and it blinked at it. It was only 2:38A.M. I started to get up from the mattress but Adam's arms were wrapped around me, pulling me back down to the mattress. I squirmed around in his embrace but his arms were not giving me up. He kissed the top of my head through my mess of curls. I smiled. "What's wrong?" I whisper to him. "I can't sleep…" He sighed. "Would you like me to sing?" He nods. I quickly rack my brain for a song. "Loving her is like driving a new Masereti down a dead end street Faster than the Wind, passionate as sin Ending so suddenly Loving her is like trying to change your mind once you're already flying through the free fall Like the colors in autumn so bright just before they lose it all Losing her was blue like I'd never known Missing her was dark grey all alone Forgetting her was like trying to know somebody you never met But loving her was red, oh red Loving her was red, yeah red Touching her was like realizing all you ever wanted was right there in front of you Memorizing her was as easy as knowing all the words to your old favorite song Fighting with her was like trying to solve a crossword and realizing there's no right answer Regretting her was like wishing you never found out that love could be that strong Losing her was blue like I'd never known Missing her was dark grey all alone Forgetting her was like trying to know somebody you never met But loving her was red, oh red Loving her was red, yeah red Remembering her comes in flashbacks and echoes Tell myself it's time now, gotta let go But moving on from her is impossible When I still see it all in my head Burning red, oh Her love was so red, yeah Losing her was blue like I'd never known Missing her was dark grey all alone Forgetting her was like trying to know somebody you never met But loving her was red, oh so red Loving her was red, yeah red Loving her was like driving a new Masereti down a dead end street." I whisper the last word to him. His head falls on my chest and I kiss his sleeping body once before wrapping my arms around Adam's tanned body. "Good night Adam." I whisper, pulling my body closer to his and pulling the covers up to my neck, grateful for the warmth, and fall asleep in his arms. I yawn, stretching. Adam sits at the foot of the bed, staring at me. "Good morning Mia." He says softly. "Morning Addie." I smile. "Morning boys." I call to Sam and Dean. "Good morning." They reply back. "Hey, um, are we going to the beach house?" Sam and Dean look at each other. "Yes." I smile. "Alright. Let me get changed." I sigh, looking at my reflection in the mirror. Memories from last night flood though me and I feel heat rising into my cheeks. I really love Adam. I comb my hair and change. "Okay, are we ready?" I ask once we're ready. "Yeah, we're ready." Dean piles our stuff into the Impala and I sit down next to Adam. Adam rests his head on my shoulder and I look up at him. Our lips mold into each other and my hand find his hair, playing with it softly. I see Sam smiling as he looks out the window. "Love you Adam." I smile, closing my eyes. "Love you too Mia." "I don't ever want to forget you." I whisper. He smiles. "I love you." He whispers, his hands trailing down my back and down to my hips. I smile into his shirt and sigh. My ears start to ring, badly. I moan, trying to ignore it, but it only gets louder. "No...Stop it..." I mutter. "Don't…Stop!" Sam and Adam look back at me, confused. "Your hurting them! No no no no no no no!" I see Lilith digging a knife into Dean's back. Dean screams out in pain. "No! Dean! STOP IT!" I yell. Lilith wipes the blood off her blade and looks back at Dean, who is dead. "No! No! DEAN!" I scream, tears run down my face and they burn like fire. I fling my seatbelt off and grip Dean's lifeless body in my arms. "De…Dean!" I sob. Next to him, Sam yells out in pain. Lilith stands behind him in the window, and she holds up poison. My eyes grow wide. "Sam!" I scream. "Look out!" But it's too late. Lilith's hand breaks though the glass as if made of water, and forces Sam's mouth open, and the poison flows from the bottle and into his mouth. "No! No! Sammy! SAMMY!" I yell. Sam gasps and coughs, trying to force the poison out of his system. It doesn't work. Sam's giant body slumps down, and I scream. "No, no! Sam! Sam! SAMMY!" I hold Sam's arms in my hands, ignore the poison, and kiss his forehead. I sob into his shirt. "Sammy…I'm so sorry…" I cry. Dean's dead eyes stare at me. I hold my two friends closer to me, cradling them in my arms. "Boo!" Lilith giggles. She sits next to me, staring at Adam. I breathe out heavily. Lilith inspects a knife in her hands. She sighs, as if not happy with it, and sets it down. She thinks for a minute, then she brightens. She snaps her fingers and a gun appears in her hands. She inspects it. All I can do is stare in horror as she points the gun to Adam's head. "Any last words you want to say to him?" She asks. I sniff, and lean in to give him a kiss on the lips. "I l-love y-you." I whisper. "I love y-you t-too." Lilith smiles. "That was so sweet!" She says, a fake smile on her lips. It falls just as quickly like sand does in an hourglass. Lilith points the gun, and shoots. The bullet goes through his head. Adam slumps to the ground, dead. A scream rips from my throat and expands outwards. I throw my arms around him, kiss his lifeless lips, and cry. I just killed my friends. It's all my fault. My fault. My fault. My fault. My fault. My fault. My fault. It's all my fault. Everything is my fault. "Mia?" A voice calls in the distance. It sounds panicked. "Mia? Mia? You need to calm down." Another voice says. "Mia?" No…That can't be. I breathe in and out, my eyes wide. Sam's worried eyes pin on me, scared and nervous. Dean's expression is mirrored to Sam's. I look over to Adam. His arm is wrapped around me. He's crying. "Lilith, alright! MY ANSWER IS YE…" "NO!" My friends yell. I realize what I just did. and I throw my arms around Adam. "Adam…I w-was so scared! Lilith…k-killed you!" I check his head for any blood. "No blood?" I mumble. I stare at Sam, and open his mouth. "No poison…" I whirl around to Dean. I lean forward and check Dean for a wound to the back. My eyes widen as I lean back to hug Dean in my arms tightly. "No wound…" I pull back and Dean's eyes stare intently into mine. I sob, letting go of Dean and leaning into Adam's chest, wrapping my arms around him. "You three died in my arms…Lilith did this…" "Oh baby, it's not real, we're okay, we're okay." Adam whispers, stroking my face gently with his hand. I grab his shoulder and press my face into his warm body heat. He wipes away my tears with the back of his thumb. I sob again. Adam runs his fingers though my hair and I sniff. "I'm having day mares about you three dying, too." I mutter. Adam's seatbelt clicks off and his arms wrap around me completely, making me fall on top of him. His grip tightens around me as I hug him tighter. "I saw the light go out in your eyes Adam…Oh god, I was so scared." I say weakly. "Shh, shh. It's okay. Dean, can you keep driving?" Dean nods. We put on our seat belts and Adam wraps an arm around me. It takes time to get there, about six and a half hours, but when we finally do get there, Mike had agreed to let us use his beach house to help us heal, which I thought was nice. Dean sniffs and unlocks the door to the beach house, and we drop some bags that we carried down onto the ground. I smile. I'm going to heal here. "Okay, we're gonna go unpack. Mia, do you want to help us?" Sam asks, and that confuses me. Why would they ask that? Of course I would help them. I nod. "Are you sure?" "Yes, Sam." I said again confidently. Sam nods once. I hum a song softly. I grab my backpack out of the trunk and grab another duffel. I struggle to throw the duffel over my shoulder. "Oh, here, let me help you with that." Says a voice behind me. I turn and see a boy with brown hair and blue eyes smiling at me. I nod back. My head runs though all the monsters I know. Demon? I quickly take a water bottle filled with holy wanted and dab my fingers in, then press it against the boys fingers. Not a demon. Shapeshifter? I 'accidentally' touch his finger with pure silver. Nope. I run though all the possible tests that I know. Nothing adds up, so I assume he's human. "Thank you." I nod, handing a bag to him. "My name is Chase Aris." He smiles. "My name is Mia." I nod back. "So, what brings you to this part of California? If you don't mind me asking." He asks as we step up the steps to the beach house. "I'm on a road trip with my friends." I reply smoothly. Good start, right? "Oh. That's great." Chase smiles. "Yeah, we just have to get away from it all for a little while. We have been on the road for nine months, and it's nice to do that once in and a while." Chase nods like he understands. I have a feeling that we could be friends, fast. I enter the door and Sam and Dean smile at me. When they see Chase, their eyes flick suspiciously to him, then me. I give a slight shake of my head, indicating that he's not anything supernatural, and that they can relax. "Chase, meet my friends, Sam and Dean." Sam and Dean give a slight nod, mumbling an hello. "Where's Addie?" I ask, walking over to Dean and wiping dust off his jacket. "He's unpacking." Sam says. "Oh." I nod. "Who's Addie?" Chase blinks. "My boyfriend." I reply. "Ohh." "Pie!" I say randomly. Dean's head snaps up. "Where?" "Cake!" Chase says, smirking. Two can play at that game. "Cookies!" I say. "Brownies!" "Chocolate!" "Ice cream!" Chase grins. "Cupcakes!" "Lollipops!" "Hot fudge sundaes!" "M&M's!" "Snickers!" "Kitkats!" "Twix!" Before he can say anything, I cut him off. "I WIN!" I yell. Sam and Dean look at each other, and they stare at us. "Not fair!" Chase complains. "Sure it is!" I laugh. "Oh, I'll get you." He mutters. "Sure, sure." I laugh. Adam comes into the room and my face brightens. "Adam!" I run over to him and jump into his arms. Adam smiles and rubs my cheek. His hand finds the back of my head and I smile. Adam cups my cheek and gives me a kiss. I smile. "Chase, meet my boyfriend, Adam." "Hi." Chase says, rubbing a tanned hand though his hair. Adam nods in greeting. Sam throws Adam a look to say that he's not anything supernatural and that I tested him. Adam relaxes. I start shaking badly. My fingers curl up into a fist and I place my hand against my side to stop shaking. I look at Sam and Dean, basically screaming I'm having a panic attack. A day mare. Dean springs into action. "Well, thank you for helping us, Chase." Chase smiles. "I think we'll take it from here." More panic wells up. "Okay. It was nice meeting you Mia." "You are welcome. Have a nice day Chase." I say though clenched teeth. Chase waves and exits the house. Painful seconds that seem like hours tick by as the door closes and his footsteps reside. Once I assume he's a safe distance away, I let out a painful yell. I breathe in and out heavily, gasping for air. My mind swirls. Dean stares at me, his eyes scared. He blinks, and as if in a trance, goes over to the knife rack. No! "No…Stop. Stop it!" I yell. Dean rolls up his sleeve and slices the blade against his skin nine times on each arm. "No! Dean, put the knife down!" I scream. My hand moves to stop him, but it's too late. He plunges the knife into his stomach, and it makes a horrible squishing sound as metal twists into soft flesh. Blood flows from the wound immediately and blood drips from his mouth onto the cold tiled floor. "No! DEAN!" I run over to him and catch him before he falls over. "Mia…" He whispers, his eyes locking with mine, "I…love…you." "I-I love you too, Dean." Dean shakily reaches up and places his badly shaking hand to my cheek, and I press it against my cheek. I reach down and press my lips against his. He smiles weakly before kissing me again. My eyes close and Dean pulls a hair from my face back behind my ear. I wrap my arms around his back, lifting his whole body up. His eyes fix on me and the light goes out in eyes. "No…Dean!" I scream. Tears prick my eyes and they fall onto the ground. I sob into his jacket. Sam sobs, wiping his eyes. Sam pulls out a random gun from the pile of weapons. He inspects it before nodding. "Sammy, NO!" I yell. "I love you…" He whispers. "I love you too…" He sniffs. The gun's safety clicks off and he smiles shakily. Tears flow from his eyes and the gun clicks, the loud noise piercing my ears and silence echoes around the room. His body slumps to the ground. "Sam! SAMMY! NO! NO!" I scream, running towards him. His eyes close, and his final breath is taken. "No... Sam!" I sob into his chest. Adam sniffs behind me. He goes to the bathroom and closes it behind him. I rush over to the bathroom and kick open the door. Adam smiles weakly before opening a bottle of pills. "Adam! No!" He looks at me with big blue watery eyes. "I'm sorry," he sniffs, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "I love you Mia. I'm happy I got to know you. I love you with all my heart and soul." I sob, wiping my eyes. "I love you too, Adam." I say. He smiles before setting the pills down and wrapping his arm around my waist before pulling me into a long rough kiss on the lips. It ignites a flame deep within me, mixed with fear and love. He pulls away and opens the bottle of pills, pouring them into his hand. A mishmash of black, red and white pills fall into his hand. He smiles weakly to me and swallows them. Immediately, his body falls to the cold ground. "I love you…" He whispers again. It feels like the world is in slow motion, like I'm trying to run in water. I run over to him and cradle his body in my arms, sobbing. I lean forward and give him a kiss on the lips. The light goes out in his eyes and I swallow roughly, my salty tears hitting his face. "Adam! Adam, no! No no no no!" I scream. My throat tightens to the point of pain, and it feels like my throat will explode from the grief of losing my friends. I scream so loud it scrapes my throat and it feels like I just scraped a sharp knife against a chalkboard. "Mia, Mia…" A voice says, but it sounds distant, like someone was in a different room or I'm deep underwater. I don't know who said that, but I feel better, like a weight is lifted off my chest. My eyes flutter open. I didn't realize that my eyes were closed. "Mia, please stop screaming." I was screaming? I didn't even realize that until my throat turned raw and it is hard to swallow. "Oh Mia, it's okay…Please stop crying." That voice I recognize, more clearer now that I've stopped screaming at the top of my lungs. My lungs hurt from lack of air. My cheeks burn from crying. Yet again, I hadn't realized I am crying. "No…Adam! No stop…Please don't hurt yourself…" I sob. A pair of warm arms wrap around me. I cry out and bury my face in Adam's chest, clinging onto his shirt tightly. "No…don't l-leave me! Don't go! Please!" I sob. "I will never leave you. I'll be right here, with you, forever." Adam whispers. I smile into his shirt, my tears wetting his shirt. "Hey, hey… Mia, look at me…Look at me…" I lift my chin up, blinking away my tears. "It's okay. It's okay. We're okay." "I-it was horrible. You killed y-yourselves!" "Mia, did you see Lilith?" Dean asks quietly. I shake my head. "No, I didn't. That bothers me." I whisper. Adam's head falls to my shoulder, giving me soft kisses on my head. "Can we go to the beach?" I ask Sam. The brothers look at each other nod they smile. Adam picks me up bridal style and carriers me to our bedroom. He places me down on the bed and he leans in to press his lips against mine. "Adam…I love you." "I love you too…" He smiles. "I'm going to go get dressed." I say, getting up from the bed. "Can I join you?" Adam asks cheekily. I roll my eyes but smile. "Nope." I grin. "But maybe later." We laugh. Adam steps out of the room and I get changed into my bathing suit quickly. I step out of the room and I'm met with whistles from my friends. I giggle. Sam begins chocking on his blood. Not real, not real, not real. I say in my mind. Dean ties rope around his neck and lets his weight fall. Not real, not real, not real. Adam slices his arms again and again. Not real, not real, not real. "Thanks guys." I grin, but my eyes must scream I'm having a panic attack because my friends all say "It's not real Mia. We're okay. We're ok." Sam moves over and hugs me, a big bear hug that almost crushes me. I lean in and wrap my arms around his back and dig my head into his chest. "I'm okay." I whisper. "Can we go now?" Adam nods and picks me up bridal style. I curl into a ball and wrap my legs around his strong arms. Dean grabs everything we need and Sammy helps him. I smile widely once we get to the beach. There is no one here at the beach, and I mean no one. I did a full 360 circle and there's no one here, not even a lifeguard. I strip out of my cover up and I hear hoots and whistles come from behind me. I turn around to see a group of boys around my age stare at me. "She's hot," one of them comments. "I'd tap that." Another boy grins. "I'd kiss her everywhere." Another whistles. I cross my arms over my chest. "Excuse me?" "Yeah, baby. We'd love you all night long." I almost chock on a laugh, but I cover it quickly with a cough. "Lets get her boys." Oh shit. A hand wraps around my waist and I turn to see Adam. His eyes have fire in them. Sam and Dean step up on either side of me. Sammy, being the giant he is, easily has two feet on these guys. The look in all their eyes flash murderous. "What did you say to her?" My friends growl out. The boys, clearly afraid, back off and run away. Dean smirks. "You'd better run!" Adam grins. "Good job Sammy. I think you gigantic body scared them off." Sam laughs. "I doubt they'll mess with us again." We laugh. The warm sunshine warms the sand, which warms my feet. We get everything set up and I immediately lay down on the towel, soaking up the sun. Adam crawls over to me and spins me so I'm staring into his eyes. Adam leans in and captures my lips with his. His hands lift my whole body up so I'm sitting on his knees with my legs wrapped around his waist. Adam's hand grips my hair and I feel the cracks of my lips turn upward into a smile. We breathe heavily as we pull away. Adam pulls me into another kiss and falls down onto the blanket, bringing me with him. I giggle. "Hey, Adam…Wanna go in the water?" I ask. "Sure babe." He leans in for another kiss on the lips which I accept. "Ok. I'm ready." Adam nods and scoops me up in his arms and walks to the water. "Hey, look at me!" Adam says, letting go of my hand and doing a downwards flip underwater. I laugh. "Woah! There's a big wave coming." I comment, laughing. "Wow!" Adam pops up next to me. "Ready?" I ask, grabbing his hand. He nods. We rush the wave then go under the huge wave. Our grip breaks and I'm thrown under the wave, my hair flowing backwards before I claw for air. I can't breach the surface. I am about four of five feet under the surface. I can feel my lungs starting to burn. My strength begins to sap as I kick my legs. No…I can't die! I see Adam's figure in the water, calling out to me. I can't reach him. I try a last desperate attempt. I scream, kick my legs. Push up with my arms. Black spots dance along my vision and I feel myself become lightheaded from lack of air. I close my eyes and drift into unconsciousness. *Adam's POV* I'm ripped away from Mia's grip as soon as the wave crashes on us. The wave sucks me under and I cant breathe. I come up for air, gasping. I expect to see Mia pop up next to me, but she doesn't. Panic starts welling up in my body. "Mia!" I call, coughing up seawater. "Mia!" I search for my girlfriend, moving along in the water. I see bubbles form about three feet away. They pop like popcorn. "Mia?" I dive under where the bubbles are formed and I see my girlfriend. She's at least six feet under, and she's just floating there. She's not moving. I break the surface for air and take a deep breath. I have to save Mia. She will not die, not while I'm around. I swim down, propelling my arms to get to her faster. Little bubbles escape her mouth. She's still, but she is in a starfish position. Her bathing suit moves a little bit due to the waves. I come up for air, then take another deep breath. I swim down, grabbing Mia's waist with my left arm, then hooking my right arm over her shoulder. I'm running out of air, so I kick upwards as fast as I can. I come up for air, then waste no time going to the sand. "Sam, Dean help!" I call, dropping on the sand, gasping for breath. Dean runs over, Sam in tow. Dean drops down next to us. "What happened?" Sam asks. I explain what happened and Dean curses. "Dean, do you think you could…" Sam asks. Dean understands and closes his eyes. "Castiel, thou art in heaven…" Dean says quietly. I hear flapping of wings and Castiel stands there. "Yes, Dean?" Cas asks. "Can you fix Mia? She's not breathing." There's panic in his voice. Castiel nods. "Of course." He places two fingers on Mia's forehead and steps back. "Thank you, Cas." Dean smiles. "You are welcome Dean." Castiel leaves and suddenly Mia sits up, gasping. She blinks at us. "G-guys?" She blinks again, coughing. I smile. "Hi Mia." "Who the hell are you?" She asks. We freeze. Does Mia not remember me? That sends major Uh-Oh bells in my head. "Sam, Dean, who is this?" She demands. "Um, Mia…" Sam whispers. He brightens, as if he suddenly has an idea. "What's today's date?" "June 12th." She replies. "When is your birthday?" "June 13th." "Who am I?" He points to himself. "Sam Winchester." "Who is this?" He motions to Dean. "Dean Winchester." She replies, smiling at Dean. "What's your occupation?" "Hunter." "How long have you been with us?" "Nine and a half months. It is my birthday tomorrow." She smiles again at Dean. "Who was the first person you helped on your first hunt?" "Deanna Smith." "Did we stop the Apocalypse?" "Yes." "Did it cost us anything?" "You lost your soul, found Dean, and started hunting again with the Campbell's, Mary's side of the family. Castiel brought you back." Sam nods. That was a painful memory, for both of us. Why does she not remember me? I was pulled out of the Pit too! "Who was forced to be Michael's vessel when Dean repeatedly said no?" We all flinch, while Mia frowns at that. "Um, it was someone…Um…" This stumps her, and it surprises us. "What was his name again? Uh… Cody? No… Nolan? No… Alex? No… Ryan? No…" She gives up after a while, clearly frustrated. "Um…Adam?" She asks, frowning. My heart leaps into my throat like a marathon runner. "Do you know who this is?" Sam asks, motioning to me. She stares at me, then frowns. "No. I don't." She sighs angrily again. "But…We are close…Um, brother and sister?" She frowns. "No…" She squints at me. "Uh, friends?" She's getting there. "Is that it?" She asks again. "Are we friends?" I swallow. "Mia…" I whisper. "Adam?" She says slowly. "Um…I don't think I know any Adam." She frowns again. Damn it! Anger bubbles up in my blood. "Do you have a boyfriend?" Dean asks. She nods at Dean, then smiles again to him. "Yes…You." My eyes widen. "What?" Sam blinks. "Yes. We are happily together. It's been nine and a half months now, when Lilith said I'm a vessel. We proclaimed love to each other." She smiles. "I love you De." She whispers. Dean smiles, but looks freaked out. "Hey, uh…Mia," Sam asks, looking at Mia. "Yes Sammy?" She asks. "Would you give us a minute, please?" She smiles. "Sure!" She goes back to the towels. When she's an earshot away, I feel angry. "What the hell?" I snap frustrated. Dean blinks. "Adam…" "What. The. Hell!" I snap again. "Adam…" Sam tries to say. "What! The! Hell!" I scream, letting some of my anger out. I throw my arms up in exasperation. I start moving back and forth. Mia looks over at me. She squints at me. "Dean! Can you come here please?" She calls over. Dean blinks and walks over. *Mia's POV* Dean walks over to me and I stand up and give him a kiss on the lips. I feel two sets of eyes burn into me, one from Sam and one from someone I don't really know. I think his name is Adam. Is that is name? Adam's eyes burn hotter than Sam's. "Dean, who is that?" I ask, pointing to Adam. "That's my friend." It looks like that pains him. It's almost like their brothers. Something clicks in my mind. "Um, Dean…" I mutter. "I am not going to say yes to Lilith. I think it's something I promised…Adam." I frown again. There's a slight hesitation in my voice, which I thought was strange. Dean finds it the exact opposite. Dean's head snaps up to look at me. "What did you say?" He sounds excited. "Um, is it…Adam?" I ask, "I think we're all close…Right? Uh, are we friends? Best friends?" I ask again. Dean brightens. "Mia, what is Adam's last name?" "Milligan…Um, Winchester. Milligan Winchester." Memories slam me suddenly, almost like I got hit by a bus, got stabbed, set on fire, then thrown in water. I remember everything. Everything. "Dean!" I yell, surprising him. "Ow! What?" He asks. "Adam! Adam!" I yell, smiling. I jump up, give Dean a kiss on the forehead, and run to Adam, kicking up sand that hurts my feet and ankles. I jump into Adam's arms, and his eyes widen. We crash to the ground and I smile. "Love you." I whisper. "Love you too Mia." I plant my lips on his and cup my hand in his cheek. My arms wrap around his chest. I ignore the stares from my friends and kiss him deeper. My lips part slightly and Adam takes the opportunity to run his tongue along my lips and I exhale. His tongue inches into my mouth and I sigh. "Aww…Mia and Addie are kissing. Sammy I think we should leave them alone for a little while." Sam laughs and moves over to Dean. "Hey, we're gonna go make some food." Dean says. Adam nods but his lips don't leave mine. Together they walk away, laughing. "Well, where were we?" Adam asks, finally pulling away. "Here." I say, locking my lips with his again. His lips move down to my neck and I moan, savoring the taste of his lips. They taste like saltwater and his lips are warm. We pull away for air. "Love you…" I grin. "Love you too." He whispered. Adam's hand finds its way to the back of my head and deepens the kiss. I grip his chest harder, just a little, pressing him closer to me. He smiles and pulls away. "I'm going to go get changed." He says. "Yeah, me too. This bathing suit is starting to hurt me." We walk up to the house and get changed quickly. We walk back down to the beach in fresh clothes, hand in hand. The sun still warms my skin. "Mia…" "Yes?" I ask. "I love you, with all my heart and soul." I smile and lean into to his chest. Sam and Dean come back with sandwiches in hand. They drop the bags and stand close to us. "And, I love you." I feel Adam smile against my lips. "Mia, I want to ask you something." "Yes?" He takes a little velvet black box out of his hand. "Mia, do you promise to love me for eternity?" I smile and nod. "Yes." He smiles, gives me a peck on the cheek, and slips on a promise ring. It's a silver bow with diamonds in the bow, and it's absolutely beautiful. I cover my mouth with my hand and gasp. "It's beautiful Adam." I whisper, jumping into his arms and wrapping my arms around his neck tightly. Sam and Dean both cheer. Dean's eyes soften. Sam smiles. I can hear pure happiness in their voice. Adam slips the ring onto my finger. Adam swings me up on his back suddenly, and I gasp in surprise. "Adam, where are we going?" I ask. "Back to the house, my princess." I giggle at the nickname. Dean grins. "Thatwassobeauitful!" He says in a string of words. Sam smiles. "Yes that was." Dean looks over at Adam. "Adam, I am so proud of you." Adam grins. "Now, come on, who wants sandwiches?" Dean asks, grinning. "Me!" I laugh. Adam sets me down and I stare at the ring in the sunlight. Adam's hand holds mine. I open the door and sit down on the couch. I hum quietly to myself. "What are you thinking about?" Adam asks, sitting down next to me. It takes a minute. What am I thinking about? I answer truthfully, "Thinking how happy I am." Adam smiles. We look at each other lovingly and his hand moves under my chin. I feel safer. Four hours pass, which surprises me. Castiel and Samandriel are here, dressed in their usual clothing. Cas in a trench coat and Samandriel in his Wiener Hut uniform. Dean laughed and Samandriel didn't understand. Sam said it was a dirty thing, and Samandriel blinked, clearly uncomprehending what was so funny. I smacked the back of Dean's head for confusing my kid brother. I mean, how can you not love him? "Samandriel, do you want a sandwich?" I ask, holding out a sandwich. "Um, sandwich?" He blinks. "Yes." I smile. "Is it good?" Sam laughs. "I do not understand. Did I say something funny?" He asks, blinking. "No. Your an innocent cupcake." I say cheekily. "Is that a flirtation?" Cas asks. "Uh, not that I know of." I blink. "What is a cupcake?" Samandriel asks. I explain what a cupcake is to him, and he reaches over to poke my forehead. "Poke." He says quietly. I smile. I hear a gun's safety click off. I turn and my eyes feel like their going to pop out of their sockets. Lilith is pointing a gun at Samandriel. "NO!" I scream suddenly, startling everyone. "LILITH! STOP IT!" I yell. "Get the gun away from Samandriel!" Adam turns to me. "Mia, it's not real, it's not real." Lilith huffs. "Sure it is." I'm petrified by fear. "Mia, whatever your seeing, it's not real. It's not real." Dean says, trying to calm me down. "No…GET IT AWAY!" I shriek. Lilith points the gun at his stomach and shoots. The bullet must be melted with angelic blades, because Samandriel screams in pain. "No! SAMANDRIEL!" I scream, "No no no no no!" His eyes close. White light blasts out of his eyes and mouth. I see his wings become engraved in the wooden floor. "NO!" I sob, running to him and holding him in my arms. "No! Samandriel!" I yell, crying. I hold his head and wrap my arms around his body. "No!" I scream. "NO!" Tears run down my face and they hit the floor. I hold him closer to me, trying to feel warmth in Alfie's body. "Alfie! Samandriel!" I yell. "Cas!" Dean yells. Cas places two fingers on my forehead and everything becomes clearer. I'm still sitting on the floor, but Samandriel is sitting there, staring at me with big, innocent green eyes. We don't say anything for a while, all my friends just stare at me. "Samandriel!" I yell. "Guys! Samandriel's alive!" I grin. "Samandriel's alive! He's okay!" I get up from the floor and tackle him in a hug. "Mia…It's okay. I never left, I never left." He whispers, wrapping his arms around me. "Please don't g-go!" I sob, hugging him tighter. I'm shaking. Even after he pulls away, I continue to hug him. "No. You a-are n-not g-going anywhere Sammy!" He nods and hugs me. "I won't. I promise." He whispers. I feel four pairs of eyes on me, and I turn, but don't leave Samandriel's grasp. "Adam…I want it to end." Sam's eyes grow wide. "Mia…Your not…" "I want all of it to end…" I whisper. Dean's eyes grow as big as saucers. I can see tears fill his eyes. "Dean…" I move out of Samandriel's grasp and go into his. "I want it to end…" I mutter. "Mia, you are not going to kill yourself!" Adam's eyes grow as big as a fish out of water. Dean's grip tightens on me, like a lock. "You. Are. Not. Going. To. Kill. Yourself!" Five voices blend into one. "Why not?" I whisper into Dean's shirt. "Because we would miss you." Adam says. "No one would." I mutter. "Oh sweetheart…We would miss you." Dean whispers. I shake my head. "Don't feed me lies. I'm broken, okay?" I can feel my voice start to rise. "I can't kill the monster inside me, Dean! This is a monster only I can kill, and I cant kill it! I can only kill it by putting a bullet though my head! I'm dead inside Dean! I'm dead! I hate myself!" Sam sobs into his hands. I hadn't realized that he was crying. I move over to him and hug the gigantic man of a brother. He's like a bother to me. "Sammy…I hate myself. I hate how I slow you down. It'd be better if I just left. Maybe…" I pull away from Sam. "Maybe it'd be better if I said yes." "NO!" Adam yells. "Why not Adam? These nightmares would stop. The pain I feel everywhere would stop." "No…No! I will not let you. You are not leaving me!" He screams. I move out of Sam's grasp and move into his. I shake my head. "I don't want these nightmares anymore." He shakes his head this time and holds my face in his hands. "I can't let you go." "You'll have too. I truly am sorry. After what happened to Samandriel, I can't bear it. I don't want to live another second knowing I'll keep having these nightmares about you four dying until I either kill myself or say yes." "No…Mia!" Adam's voice breaks. "Don't…Please…" I shake my head again. "I'm so sorry." "Mia-" Dean tries to say something. "I'm sorry Dean." "Mia…" Castiel's crying, and that shocks me. I was told that angels don't feel emotion. They don't feel happiness, pain, sickness or sadness, that they are just robots who just carry out orders. That shocks me so much I have to go over there and hug him. I wipe away his tears with my hand. "Oh Cas…" I sob, burying my face into his tan trench coat. "Mia…We do love you." He says, sniffing. "We always will." I smile. Two hours later, I get over my random outburst of a depression speech. "Um, guys I'm sorry I said those things." My friends blink. "It's okay, Mia. You were just paranoid." Samandriel says. I walk over to him and wrap my arms around his neck. "No…Don't go…Don't go." I mumble. "I'm not leaving…" He says. I smile. "Thank you." Adam clears his throat. "Addie! Come here." He sticks his tongue out at the nickname. "Come here or I won't give you any kisses for a year." Dean's jaw drops. "Uh oh. Adam go over there or you won't be kissed by Mia for a year. You will be as grumpy as Sam!" "Hey!" Sam protested. We all laugh and Adam walks over to us. "Group hug!" I yell, beckoning my friends over to me. We all group hug and pull away. "Hey Mia." Someone says suddenly. It's not Lilith, thank god, but it's someone I've never seen before. Demon. I can see his real face under that one. Before anyone can say or do anything. I recite the banishing spell, all from memory. "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica. Ergo draco maledicte et omnis legio diabolica adjuramus te. Cessa decipere humanas creaturas, eisque aeternae Perditionis venenum propinare. Vade, Satana, inventor et magister omnis fallaciae, hostis humanae salutis. Humiliare sub potenti manu dei, contremisce et effuge, invocato a nobis sancto et terribili nomine, quem inferi tremunt. Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, Domine. Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate servire te rogamus, audi nos. Ut inimicos sanctae Ecclesiae humiliare digneris, te rogamus, audi nos. Terribilis Deus de sanctuario suo. Deus Israhel ipse truderit virtutem et fortitudinem plebi Suae. Benedictus deus. Gloria patri." The demon screams and exits the person in a large cloud of smoke. "Cas, send the person back home. Please." Castiel, shocked, nods wordlessly and snaps his fingers and the person disappears, probably back to his house. "Mia…How did you do that? How did you know there was a demon?" Dean asks surprised. "I could see its face under the mask, under the meat suit." "Um…Cas, is that possible?" "Only if your going to go to hell…But-" Dean winces, clearly remembering what happens when your going to hell. Adam told me. "Does that mean…" I gulp. "No…It means you are having effects of angel blood in your system." I blink. "Oh." I blink again. "Is that a good thing?" Samandriel nods. "You are now more like a fledgling angel as of now. Humans will think you have a lot of powers, but to angels, it is something. Your powers will most likely grow over the course of a year, sometimes more." He says. "Oh." Dean says. I can hear his thoughts, clear as a bell. 'I hope Mia doesn't become addicted to angel blood. That would be bad.' I decide not to answer. 'Why does everything bad happen to our family?' Adam thinks miserably. "Our family's cursed." I reply automatically. Sam raises an eyebrow. "Um," Adam clears his throat, still staring at me. "How did you know…" I shrug. "Great, Mia's hearing our thoughts." Dean blinks. I can see Dean throwing a fit, smashing a chair against the wall, wooden pieces falling everywhere. "Don't you dare Dean. Mike would not appreciate it if a hole appeared in the will and a chair was smashed." Dean opens his mouth. "Don't say I'm a freak Dean." Adam stares at him. "You were going to call her a freak?" Dean shuts his mouth. 'Mia had better not become addicted to angel blood. I don't want her to make the same mistake I did.' I throw Sam a reassuring smile. "Don't worry Sammy, I won't." Sam looks very relieved, but still creeped out. "I'm going to the bathroom." I say. My friends nod and I walk to the door and shut it with a soft click behind me. I turned on the faucet to warm water so I could wash my face, ignoring the thoughts pouring out of my friends in the other room. I let out a sigh as I washed my skin with some soapy lather, and I still felt its smoothness a while after I'd washed the soap off with water. I turned around to grab a towel to dry my face when, with a jolt, I thought I saw something jet black in the mirror, contrasting with my bare skin, white walls, and the white sweatpants I was wearing. I was too scared to even move and turn off the faucet. I went to turn around slowly, keeping my eyes on the mirror. I saw the deep black again. I snatched up a hand mirror quickly, feeling myself quivering. I turned around and held the mirror up to my face, and positioned it so I could see the back of my head and back. I nearly dropped the mirror when I saw two deep black lines that ran along the length of my shoulder blades. I looked closer at the pause-button like lines, and I saw that they weren't really dark black lines at all, but fluffy rows that shone with sheens of purple, blue, fifty shades gold, silver, bronze and turquoise, much like multi-colored raven's wings, despite the gold, silver and bronze part. 'Raven's wings…' I thought to myself, and twisting my arm around, I ran my finger down the length of the line. My fingers where only met with the smooth, warm skin of my back, but in the mirror I saw something else. The black fluffy material was acting in a way very similar to down, as it was pressed down briefly and sprung right back up in little flashes of purple and blue once my finger had passed. The wings stopped at the floor, the tips of the majestically multicolored raven's wings shimmering in the pale white light of the room. This time I really did drop the hand mirror. It fell to the tiled floor with a clatter, and instantly the mirror cracked with a boom and shards skipped around the floor. I stared at the wings…My wings, and my eyes grew wide. "Jesus Christ!" Thoughts pour out of my friends. 'Uh-oh.' 'Whats going on?' 'Something's wrong!' 'Mia might be in trouble!' I pulled on my shirt quickly, feeling horrified, as I dodged to avoid the broken bits of silvery mirror on the floor. I slammed off the light switch, and was met with a wall of darkness. I quickly opened the door and my friends stare at me. "Mia, what's going on?" I spread my wings out, and their eyes grow wide. Samandriel blinks and takes a deep breath, his eyes wide. "Mia, it appears you are a Nephilim, half angel, half human. Your wings are bigger than a normal Nephilim's, way bigger than an angel's, and you have more power than a normal Nephilim would, and for matter, a full angel, even with the powers of heaven at his disposal, but not quiet an archangel, but very, very close, meaning you have more developed powers. This is rare. No angel has seen it in thousands of years, not since the BC times." Surprised thoughts pour out of my friends heads. 'Uh-oh.' Sam thinks as he starts to twitch. He moves over to me suddenly and tries me to the ground. Instantly, I'm away from Sam. I'm on the other side of the room. Teleportation. Nice. I feel a blast of knowledge suddenly, and I learn all the powers I have at my disposal. It's wonderful. Some of its scary, but its…wonderful. Most of it is pleasant. I only focus on the pleasant parts. "Sam, stop. What are you doing?!" Adam demands. "Sam." I say, my voice calm despite the situation. "Stop." He stops trying to attack me. I guess another added bonus is persuasion. My friends look at me. "What?" I ask. "Persuasion comes as an added bonus." I shrug. "The blood seems to have effects on how I talk." I blink. My senses become sharper all the sudden. I can see further and hear a lot more. I can hear people talking five and a half blocks away from the beach house, and their talking about what to have for dinner tonight. I can hear the flutter of insects wings, the soft, steady breaths of a child's sleeping figure, the crunch of gravel in a little boy's boot as he walks down the street with his family, his baby sister wrapped in a pink blanket. Little pleasant things make my heart feel warmer. "It is truly beautiful, isn't it?" Samandriel asks, realizing my warmth. "Yes. It is. I have realized the smallest of things have the greatest effect." I smile. "That is how we angels feel. Every moment counts." "Um, Mia…" Dean speaks up. "Can you be killed by anything?" "Just an archangels blade." I reply instantly. "No one has seen one since Raphael's death. I assume there are no more, since the four archangels are either dead or trapped, rendering the blades useless." I say. "Oh. Then that's a good thing, right?" Dean asks. "Yes." I say. "Mia, I'm so sorry for what happened." Sam says. "It's okay Sammy. I understand what happened." I smile. My wings stretch out, almost knocking over the couch and kitchen table. Samandriel and Castiel's eyes grow wide, staring at my wings. My friends breathing catches in their throats. "Those has to be the biggest set of wings I have ever seen, and the most beautiful." Adam says, whistling in pure awe. I smile. "Oh and guys, don't worry. I won't try and kill you. I still have all my memories intact. I know you are nervous I might try and kill you, but I won't. I won't turn into an archangel and make you die a horrible death. I still know and love you five, so don't worry." My friends relax, their shoulders slumping and they let out a breath they were holding. I laugh, and it sounds like a bell, pleasant to my ears, and probably to my friends as well. "Mia, your birthday is tomorrow, and uh, maybe you would want to get some sleep. It's kind of late, and-" Adam begins. I nod. "Okay, I will go to sleep." I smile. I suppose I don't need sleep, but I feel at peace. I nod and get changed for bed, the promise ring still on my hand. I fall into bed, Adam crawling next to me, twirling his finger around my brown hair. Luckily, I tucked my wings away so their not taking up any space. "Goodnight Mia…" Adam whispers. "Goodnight Adam." I repeat back. He gives me a small peck on the cheek before rolling over. 'Sleep.' I told myself. Immediately, I felt myself fall into a deep sleep. I'm awoken the next morning by moving feet into my bedroom and the soft click of a door closing. I roll over so I'm facing upwards. I peek over at the clock and it says 1:37P.M. Wow. I slept in a lot. "Good morning Mia." My friends say, waking me up from my sleep. I smile and blink. "Good morning boys." I smile. Adam's hair is messy. Bed head. Dean's grinning like a madman, and it makes me smile inwardly. Cas and Samandriel stare at me, large smiles pulling at their lips. Sammy tucks a piece of hair behind my ear. "Happy birthday Mia!" They say. Adam gives me a kiss on the lips and I wrap my arms around him. We pull away and I my fingers. My hair combs itself and I sigh, stretching my wings (I'll never get used to that,) out. Immediately, Multicolored wings meet the morning sun, and they shimmer with pure beauty. Adam smooths out a wrinkled feather and my wings shimmer brighter across the pale walls of the bedroom. I close my eyes and smile. "Samandriel, Come here, please." He leans in towards me. "Yes Mia?" "PILLOW FIGHT!" I grin. I snap my finger and my friends have pillows in their hands. Immediately, I smack Sam in the forehead. Dean's head goes into battle mode, probably forgetting that I have psych abilities. He goes for a strike on my wings, and my angelic instincts kick in. I block his pillow with mine, and his pillow flies out of his hands. "GOTCHA!" I yell, giggling. "You can't attack a physic, dummy!" He sighs. "Your no fun." I huff dejectedly. "I'm barrels of fun, princess." I chuckle. "Okay, after we have this pillow fight, we are having breakfast." I blink, sighing heavily. My eyes start to slip close but I snap awake. After we have the pillow fight, I rub my eyes. "Okay. I'm out to go get lunch." Sam says. We nod and he leaves. "Hey, Samandriel, can I check out my powers?" "Sure." He nods. "You have all the powers angels have, including archangels. My powers are: Chronokinesis - I can travel through time, in either direction. I can also take others with me, and just send others without going themselves. However, this is a very difficult ability to master with or without Heaven's assistance. More powerful angels such as Seraphs or Archangels are able to manipulate time easier, even when cut off from Heaven. Dream Walking - I can appear in people's dreams, angels usually use this to communicate, when they can't find the person they're looking for, or want to talk privately. Eidetic Memory - I have the faces of every prophet who has existed or will exist etched into my memory. This ability also makes me aware of reality warping and timeline changes. Electronic Manipulation - I can manipulate electrical appliances. Immortality - I won't age and cannot be killed by diseases or Earthly weapons. Invulnerability - To date, the only things capable of killing angels are Angel Blades, Holy Fire, a stronger angel, Death, God, and Leviathans. Archangels have even fewer weaknesses, as Michael wasn't killed by the Holy Fire, and they can only be killed by Archangel Blades, not ordinary Angel Blades. It has been stated that Death's Scythe can kill angels. Thankfully, Archangel Blades don't exist anymore, so I cannot be killed. Regeneration - If an angel's vessel is damaged, it will repair itself instantly unless the wound was caused by angelic weaponry, with the exception of me. Sedation - Angels are able to render humans unconscious with a touch. Super Stamina - I never tire, and they do not require food, water, oxygen, or sleep to sustain myself. Super Strength - Physically, regular angels are more than a match for humans, lower-level and mid-level demons, and most monsters. Higher angels like Seraphim can kill any demon. I can overpower and kill any demon, creature, monster or pagan god. I can also kill all other angels with ease. Supernatural Perception - I am able to see all supernatural activity around me. I can also sense any location, being, or object not protected by Enochian Symbols. I am able to find people with Enochain Symbols with ease. This perception also extends to electromagnetic waves, and can decipher radio modulation signals, as angels are "multidimensional waves" in their true form and can thus perceive such energies. Telekinesis - I am able to telekinetically move beings and objects with my mind. Telepathy - I can read the minds of other angels with no difficulty, higher angels such as Seraphs, Archangels. I, being the only Nemphlim in the world as of now, can also read humans minds. I can also send messages to humans with ease. Teleportation - I am able to travel from one place to another, instantly, without occupying the space in between. I can also summon or send other beings. Voice Mimicry - I can perfectly mimic the voice of mortals. Protective Charm - An angel can protect an individual (commonly their future vessels) from most forms of physical damage. This degree of protection is linked to an angel's power. Flight - I am able to fly anywhere instantly. It may be linked to my teleportation due to the sound wings flapping when I teleport. Pyrokinesis - Able displays the ability to burn through anything, no matter what. Invisibility - Some angels can become invisible to humans if they choose to be. Enhanced Chronokinesis - The ability to bend time is easier if the angel is connected to Heaven. Healing - Angels can cause the wounds, diseases, and toxins of another being to heal instantaneously. Killing Touch - Angels are able to destroy lower-level and mid-level demons with a simple touch, however the demon has to be in a host body, as this doesn't work on their smoke form. However, they can grip a demon's smoke form and force it back into a host body to smite the demon. I can can also use it to kill monsters and humans. More powerful angels, are proficient enough to scare (and kill) a demon as powerful as Lilith. Resurrection - I can bring the dead back to life. However, I must know where all the pieces of the original body are, and they must have the soul of the subject. (The only known exception was when Castiel went to Lucifer's cage and only was able to raise Sam and Adam's body. Their souls remained in the cage for over a year after). Castiel mentions to me that angels had to lay siege to Hell in order to retrieve Dean. Biokinesis - Able to manipulate the biology of other beings. Zachariah, for example, was able to make Dean hemorrhage while torturing him into saying yes to Michael. Vessel Locking Advanced - I can hold a demon in smoke form as if it was tangible and force the demon to return to its vessel. Memory Manipulation - I am able to erase, restore, alter, and fabricate memories in the minds of humans. Advanced Pyrokinesis - Powerful angels like myself can generate and manipulate fire. Soul Reading - Angels are able to read the souls of humans, however it is a painful experience for the human. They can also use the soul as a source of energy, but the pain is even greater for the human, and there is the risk of an explosion if the angel is not careful. Reality Warping - Powerful angels can bend reality to their will. Another thing I can do is breaking and repair objects by pointing, or assembling a game by shaking the box. Power Removal - Capable of removing psychic powers from human beings. However, the process is very painful and can leave the person mentally-damaged. White Light - Able to use that power can kill or injure almost everything. I can also control the intensity of this power. Cosmic Awareness - Superhuman knowledge of the universe. Cryokinesis - The ability to freeze anything with my breath. Electrokinesis - Can produce powerful arcs of electricity. Molecular Combustion - Make something explode by snapping a finger. Shapeshifting - Able to take multiple forms while not in a vessel, and while in vessel. Weather Manipulation - Able to generate storms. Terrakinesis - Able to create severe quakes simply by willing it Nigh-Omnipotence - Can change reality, being able to do and create things out of thin air such as illusions, fantasy, portals, beings etc. Having great power and dexterity, archangels can easily overpower basically anything; humans, angels, pagan gods, demons, monsters, etc. Supernatural hearing - I can hear angels talking up in heaven, and I can hear anything, no matter how far away it is. Persuasion - I can talk anyone or anything to do say or do anything. This includes angels, monsters, animals, demons and humans. Visions- Able to see something before it happens, either in the future or a minute before it happens. "Okay, lets start with the basic stuff," Samandriel says. "Move that chair." He says. pointing to a chair. I focus on it and it moves with ease. We practice everything until we get to flying. "Okay, extend your wings." Castiel says, instructing me to extend my wings. "Okay, go to wherever you want." I want to be back at my old house. I think, concentrating. My wings flap and I'm back at my old house. I smile and return to the beach house. "How was it?" Adam asks. "It was nice." "Mia, do you want to practice Electrokinesis? You can also make storms." Castiel asks. I nod. "Okay. You may try it." "Try getting angry at something." There's a lot of things to get angry at. My dad, Lilith, monsters, some dick angel, demons and the rounds of abuse my father gave to me for a long time. Immediately, the lights flicker and electricity pops. The winds howl and rain splashes on the roof, echoing. The once clear blue sky is now dark with ominous rain clouds. Thunder crashes and a large ark of lightning spills across the sky, lighting up the sky in a flash of white light. Rain hits the rooftops of houses and thunder crashes yet again. With the force of rain, wind and thunder, doors shutter and windows break with ease, spilling the contents of the now broken windows everywhere, making a glassy shatter echo across the living room as the pieces rain down. 'Wow.' All my friends think, and I smirk, but don't stop. 'Mia,' Samandriel warns in my head over the roar of the wind, 'you are making power outages happen across the world. Please stop, I do not want you to hurt yourself.' I stop creating winds and I close my eyes. I let out a breath. "Adam," I say in a singsong voice. "I love you." I smile. "I love you too." Happy thoughts pour out of my boyfriend's head. "Adam, come here." I smile. He walks over and I hold his hand in mine. "Yes Mia?" He asks. I smile and lock my lips with his. I break away and rest my head on his shoulder. I tuck my wings away, and Adam rubs my back in slow, careful circles. I snap my fingers and everything repairs itself. "Your powers are maturing faster than we expected. This is very, very rare." Samandriel says. Sam enters the house, drenched in water, staring at us with wide eyes. "Did you guys see that electrical storm?" I laugh. "Courtesy of Mia." Dean says. "Jesus," Sam stares at me. "That was you?" I nod. "Holy crap!" "Um, sorry." I blush. Angelic whispering fills my ears, and I turn my head to hear them better. They whisper 'Danger! Demons walk among us!' I might as well go and smite them all. "I will be back. Demons are in town." "Wait- Mia." Dean says before I can fly away. I stare at Dean. "Yes?" "Can you take us with you? You may need back up, just in case." I smile. How sweet of them. I nod. "Cas," Cas stands at attention, and I giggle inwardly, I feel like I'm like an archangel, whenever I ask an angel something. they stand at attention. "Would you mind to help me take them? I cannot carry all three of them at once. Samandriel, would you carry Sam? Castiel, could you carry Dean? I will carry Adam." They nod. "Ready?" I ask. They all nod. Three sets of wings flap in harmony and we're at an abandoned warehouse. "Oh, and here are three demon knives." Castiel snaps his fingers and three demon knives appear in my friends hand. "Oh my god. There are a lot of demons." I mutter. A large group of fifty demons stand there. That's probably the smallest possible amount. I estimate at least two hundred. This has to be the biggest amount of demons we've as hunters, seen, ever. Men and women of all ages and races stand there, all with black eyes. "Oh. My. God." My friends all say, their eyes wide. "Hmm, you know what, you could probably use demon knives dipped in holy water." I snap my fingers. Now, the demon knives are soaked in holy water. "That's better." I nod. "Winchester and Comenzo." One of the demons pipe up, snarling. The voice echoes across the empty room, and I blink. "Oh, something's different about the girl…She's an angel." One muses distastefully. 'Guys, we cannot allow the demons to learn that I am an Nemphlim. It could put me and everyone I love in danger.' Sam, Dean and Adam look surprised, and I assume they heard what I said. "Lets rip her wings off." One suggests eagerly. Good luck with that. My black wings stretch out to their full extent, the multicolored tips shimmering intensely in the bright, blinding lights of the very large abandoned warehouse. 'Now would be a good time to check out my demon smiting skills.' I think. 'Yes, we agree.' Samandriel and Cas say. We all look at each other and nod. "Ready?" I ask. My friends give a confident nod. We rush the demons, and they rush us. My eyes glow white and a noise rings in the air. I grab ahold of two demon's heads and smite them. White light flashes out of their mouth and eyes and they die. Sam, Adam and Dean are back to back to back, stabbing at the black eyed sons of bitches professionally, whirling around to attack any demon in sight. Samandriel and Castiel smite demons in harmony, white hot light escaping their mouths and eyes as the demons and, unfortunately, their hosts, die. White hot light bursts out of my eyes and I burn thirty seven more in the process. One jumps on my back and stabs me with an angel blade. It stings a little, but does not cause me pain, so my body is not damaged. I turn and see the demon snarling and glaring at me, while its claws dig into my back. "AH!" I scream in pain. "Adam!" Adam turns and his eyes grow wide, then flash murderously. I fall to the ground, then get back up. Adam's viciously stabbing the demon, until it dies. "Shut your eyes!" I warn. My friends shut their eyes and brilliant white light shoots out of my hand, killing all the demons. "Okay you can open your eyes now." I say. My friends open their eyes. "Ah…" I mumble. "Mia, are you okay?" Adam asks, running over to me. I groan and stand up. "I'm ok. The angel blade didn't do too much harm. I will be fine." I say, healing my friends injuries. "Thank you." My friends say. Samandriel moans, and my eyes grow wide. "Samandriel!" I yell. "Are you alright?" He nods and exhales slowly. He's holding his side. "Samandriel!" I yell. His eyes close. "I am…okay…I will be fine." He whispers hoarsely. "Samandriel, your hurt!" I exclaim, holding him in my arms. His eyes close. "You will be okay…I got you. I'm gonna look after my baby brother? Right? Right? Huh, Sammy? Sammy? I'm gonna look after my little brother, right Samandriel?" I ask, tears pricking my eyes. "Samandriel? Samandriel! No. No no no no no!" I yell, my voice breaking at the last word. "Samandriel!" I yell. I close my eyes and think of him. My friends breathe in and out shakily, and sad thoughts pour out of them. "SAMANDRIEL!" I sob. I am going to heal him. I am going to heal him. "Sana, angeli de Dominus, Bellator De, Sana." I whisper in Latin. Translation: 'Heal, angel of The Lord, Soldier of God, heal.' Immediately, his wounds heal, and the gash in his stomach disappears. Samandriel moans. His eyes flutter open. I smile, despite the tears in my eyes. "Hi Samandirel." I whisper. "Hi Mia." He smiles. "Samandriel…" I mutter. I suddenly get very emotional. "Mia, are you okay?" He asks, his eyes full of concern for me. "You-You could've…" I sob, wiping my eyes. Samandriel realizes what happened. "I am okay Mia. I am okay." He whispers. If he survived torture from Crowley, I could heal him. I smile and help him up. My wings fluff out. "Do you want to go back?" Castiel ask. "Yes." I nod. We fly back. "Adam…I'm glad I spent my first birthday with you guys." I smile. Adam walks over to me and gives me kiss on the lips softly. "I love you." I whisper. "Love you too." I laugh randomly. "Samandriel!" I giggle. I can see him coming over and giving me a hug. As expected, he gives me a hug. My wings flutter. "Aww! Miandrial exists!" Dean laughs. "Haha." We all grin. Lilith stands in the mirror, smiling sappily. I freeze. No… Samandriel smiles at me, but I get a faraway look in my eye. No! Immediately, glass of a window shatters with a pop to my right. "No…Get away! Get away from Samandriel!" I will NOT go though this again! I won't see him die! Not again! "Get away!" I yell, my wings flashing out threateningly, ready to attack. "No no no! Go away Lilith!" Lilith giggles and vanishes. She appears back a minute later with an angel blade. She runs up, and before even I can react, stabs Samandriel in the back. NO! I hear someone faintly call my name. I blink. What did I just see? "Mia?" Samandriel asks. Immediately, instincts kick in and I sweep him behind my back with one swoop and my angel wings cover him up completely, like a caterpillar would do in a cocoon, wrapping my wings around his body, while speaking telepathically to him that he should wrap his wings around himself, too. He does as I instruct and his wings wrap around himself, giving himself another caterpillar-like protective layer over himself. My eyes sweep around the room, looking for any sign of the white eyed son of a bitch. No sign of her. I let out a breath. I pull my wings back and they flutter nervously. "Mia, what did you see?" Adam asks me gently. "I saw Lilith…" I mumble. "What did she do?" "She s-stabbed Samandriel in t-the back." I whisper, shaking. I run into Samandriel's arms, determined not to let go. I honestly think after nine months with Samandriel, my friends and I have grown accustomed to him being in our little family. I think it's a nice addition. We, as a family, are cursed, but we get though it, like we do with everything that's ever faced us. I think Samandriel and Cas are happier now than they were nine and a half months ago. I'm glad my friends warmed up to Samandriel. Comes to show that not all angels are ruthless, backstabbing, lying-though-their-teeth robots that just carry out orders. God, all (with the exception of Samandriel and Cas,) of the angels are just plain evil. I shiver at that word. "Samandriel, I don't feel so good." I say. My wings flutter. I groan. "It's okay Mia. Your human half is just tired." "But I don't feel tired." I complain. Lilith stands there suddenly, jumping up and down on the table. I freeze, gaping at her. She holds a knife in her hands, pointing it at Samandriel. An angel's knife. She smiles wickedly, and jumps down from the table. My instincts kick in suddenly and I wrap my wings around him, shielding him from Lilith. She frowns, then flickers out. "Mia, is Lilith here?" Dean asks, noticing my expression. "N-not anymore." I stare at the spot where Lilith disappeared. "You are feeling the overwhelming urge to protect Samandriel. Why?" Castiel asks. "I don't know. It's probably because I care about him." That's true. Samandriel looks small. "Oh, Sammy," I whisper, wrapping my arms around him. "Angels are not allowed to feel emotion." I say to him, looking at him with soft eyes. "But I detected a hint of love for me," Adam stiffens. "A protectiveness you have over me." He whispers. "I have this same protective instinct. Over all of you." I say back. Adam smiles. I walk over to him and place my hand on his cheek, rubbing softly. I smile again, but do not remove my hand. He tucks a piece of hair behind my ear and plants a soft kiss on my forehead. I sigh deeply and smile. I smile and check out my powers. Five hours pass, and it's already 6:53. Adam and I are walking on the beach, hand in hand. The sky is a beautiful pink and red. He looks nervous, and I can't hear his thoughts, which is strange. He stops and it makes me nervous. "Mia…" His tone makes me even more nervous than I already am. "Yes?" He takes a deep breath. "I'm breaking up with you. I'm sorry." I freeze. No! Why… "W-why?" "Because I can't do this anymore. I can't live knowing that if you keep having nightmares, it pains you, and I just can't sit back and watch you silently scream. Your eyes are shattered, and I can't take it anymore. I'm sorry, but we're breaking up." No! I swallow thickly. "But…Adam…" I whisper. "I love you…" "I know…but I don't love you." That slams me, hard. Pain stabs at me. This is worse than a gunshot or a stab wound. This is worse. "So all these months, all these months you said I love you, I care about you and I will never leave you, that was all just an act?" He flinches, and nods sadly. "Mia, please…Please try to understand…" His voice breaks, but I don't care. "Understand?" I yell, throwing my hands up in anger. "What is there to possibly understand? You just crushed my dreams! I loved you! Now your just going to throw that all away?" I scream. "I'm sorry…" he whispers. "I HATE YOU!" I scream. "I HATE YOU, ADAM MILLIGAN!" I throw the promise ring to the sand, where it glints in the sunset. Adam is crying. Good. I turn and run in the opposite direction, flying away before Adam can say or do anything. *Adam's POV* I sob, walking up the steps to the beach house. I open the door and I close it with a click. My brothers turn to me. "Adam, where's Mia?" "She's gone." I reply, swallowing thickly. Sam stares at me. "What do you mean, gone?" He asks, standing up. I don't reply. Guilt eats away at me. I can tell he's nervous. Why? Oh, right. He's worried that Mia said yes. Of course I would be worried as hell if my girlfriend…Sorry, ex-girlfriend now (Why the hell did I break up with her?) was upset and about to do something worse than dying. I'm surprised she didn't smite me. Saying yes to Lilith and ending the world, or put the world that's already on the brink, over the damn edge. So yeah, Sam and Dean have all the right reasons to be worried as hell. Dean gets up and push past me, Sam right behind him, walking down to the beach. Mia's gone. I broke her already fragile heart. I don't even know why. I think it's because I need a break. A break from what, exactly, I don't know. I feel a fresh wave of guilt slam me as I walk over dejectedly down the steps to the beach. I stand back as my brothers look for her. They walk over to me, surprised looks in their eyes, asking the same question I've been asking myself just a few minutes ago and since then, and right now. Why did I break up with her? I stare at the ocean and I feel tears swim in my eyes. I turn to look at my brothers but something glints in the sunlight and it catches my eye. I walk over to it and I pick it up. Immediately I recognize it. It's the promise ring I gave Mia. My bottom lip trembles slightly and I feel tears leak down my face. "No…" I mumble. "No…" My knees buck suddenly from the grief and slammed realization of what I just did. The sand makes my fall hurt even more, but I don't care. I just lost someone I care about. Another person I let down. "No…" I whisper again. "Adam!" Sam and Dean run up to me, and I can see tears in their eyes, too. "I lost her…" I whisper. "I lost her…" Dean sits down next to me and wraps his arms around me, comforting me. I can feel a lump in my throat, and it makes it hard to breathe. More tears escape my eyes. "Samandriel," Sam's voice breaks. I look over to them. That's when I notice tears in their eyes, too. Angels aren't supposed to feel emotion. They aren't supposed to cry. "Is she alive?" His voice breaks even more. "She is cut off from us. From all angels. We don't know as of now. We will try and speak to her telepathically, and see if that helps." Samandriel says. That answer is like putting up a neon sign in a window and saying 'She's dead, I'm sorry.' I can't feel anything, it's like I'm numb. Dean leans down and gives me a kiss on the forehead. Sam wraps his arms around my shoulders and I feel more tears prick the corners of my eyes. "She's probably dead…" I whisper. "Adam, we don't know that for sure. She's probably fine." Dean says. I nod, but I don't say anything for a whole. "I hope so…" I whisper. *Mia's POV* It's been a month and a half. A month and a half since Adam and I broke up. A month and a half of agonizing hell. I just feel numb. I'm back to my old habits, just sitting around my house. I don't cut, but I feel the urge to. The urge to cut. I cry myself to sleep every day. I cry a lot now. Samandriel and Castiel talk to me telepathically, but I don't answer. I feel like I'm better off dead than alive. That's how I feel. Dead. I don't deserve to have a life. I guess you can say I'm quitting the hunters life, like Sammy did when he left for Stanford. Samandriel speaks to me more frequently now, instead of Cas. Samandriel says its because we have a closer bond than me and Castiel. Castiel is Dean's angel, the one who gripped him tight and raised him from perdition. I know this sounds weird, but I have a feeling that Samandriel is my guardian angel, like Cas is to Dean. 'Mia,' Samandriel's voice runs though my head. 'Where are you?' I don't answer. 'Mia, please.' He says. His voice sounds close to breaking. I guess he really does care about me. I sigh, but I don't answer. 'Mia, please answer me. Adam's not doing too well.' Good. I don't care. 'Mia…' He mumbles. I can see him closing his eyes, and I can see a tear fall from his eye. It's like a book inside my head. I can imagine everything. 'If you talk to me, it will be just you and me talking, and no one else. Where are you?' I feel like I should answer him, his voice is so broken. I take a deep breath, thinking about what I am going to say to him. 'I…' He perks up at my voice, and it makes me smile. ''I'm at my house…Just me and you will talk…Okay? I can't face my friends. Especially not…' My voice becomes hard. 'That is fine.' Samandriel says. He seems relieved to know that I'm alive. That makes me happy. *Dean's POV* It's been a month and a half since Mia has disappeared. Adam isn't doing so good. He cries a lot and doesn't eat as much as I want him to. He just stares at the door, like he's waiting for Mia to magically walk though the door and everything will be the way it was before. Then he fingers the promise ring that Mia threw at him, then gets more depressed. And when he gets depressed, he locks himself in the bathroom, like the way I did when Mia was kidnapped. It worries me. I probably worried my brothers as Adam's worrying me now. It's scaring me, and I don't get scared that easily. Samandriel seems agitated. "Samandriel," I finally ask after a few minutes of staring at him. "What's wrong?" He fidgets, like he's a little kid that can't sit still. "Nothing." He replies in a monotone voice. "Are you sure?" I ask, concerned. "Yes." He replies. "I have to go." His wings stretch out, gives me a comforting smile, and he leaves. That was weird. *Mia's POV* I hear wings flapping downstairs. I get up from my bed and peek downstairs. It's Samandriel, but no one else is here. Good. "Mia?" He calls. My smile widens. I literally jump down to the living room, totally ignoring the safety bar, and land on my feet in front of him. Samandriel yelps in surprise. The fall didn't hurt me, it didn't even faze me. "Samandriel!" I say, excited. Samandriel is in a different outfit, in a blue plaid shirt and tan pants. "Hi Mia." He smiles. I reach up and rub his cheek with my fingertips, wrapping my other arm around his shoulder. "How are you?" I ask warmly. "I'm good, thank you for asking. Alfie says hi." I smile and giggle. "Hi Alfie!" "He says your pretty." He murmurs. I blush. "Thank you Alfie." I giggle. My wings fluff out a bit. "Mia…uh…um…" He blushes, and stares at me sheepishly. Why is he nervous? "Yes?" I ask, reaching up and giving him a kiss on the forehead. "Um…" He mutters quietly. "Are you okay?" "Y-yes." He says nervously. "Are you sure?" He smiles. 'I miss Mia…' Adam's voice pops in my head suddenly. I ignore it. He smiles. "Because…if you ever want to talk, I'm here for you." "I know." He whispers. He reaches down and plants a kiss on my forehead. "Adam says he misses me. I hate him though." I say quietly. "He still loves you." Samandriel says carefully. "Doubt it." I sigh. Samandriel places an arm around me and I lean into his chest. "Please don't tell them that I'm okay. I don't want Adam to know that I'm fine, since he broke my heart." "Mia…" Samandriel breathes, as if he wants to tell me something. Samandirel cocks his head to the side, and I can hear what he's hearing. 'Samandriel, where are you? You've been gone for a while now, and we're worried about you, buddy.' I can hear Dean's voice in his head, clear as a bell. I give Samandriel a hug before pulling away. He tucks a stray hair behind my hair and gives me a kiss on the forehead. "I'd better get back to them Mia." I nod, understanding. "Please don't tell them that I'm okay. I don't want them to come find me.." I whisper, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I will keep this secret, Mia." He says, giving me a quick hug before stepping back. "I'll come as soon as I can, okay?" I nod. "That sounds good to me." *Dean's POV* I hear flapping wings and I turn to see Samandriel standing there with a plastic bag. "Where the hell were you?" I ask. "Out. I thought you may like some food and a drink. Here, I got you coffee." He pulls out a coffee cup from the paper bag. He hands it to me. "Oh, here is some…pie." He blinks at that word, pulling out an apple pie. My eyes widen at the newfound treat. He hands me the pie. Unlike Sam, Samandriel didn't forget the pie. I take the pie out of its container and walk over to the kitchen. I grab a spoon and a plate, then place my pie on my plate carefully. I take a bite, and the gooey apples mixed with caramel and sugar melt in my mouth and I close my eyes. Its still warm. "Thank you, Samandriel." I smile, taking a sip of the coffee. "I am sorry I didn't come immediately. I had to pay, then go to an alleyway that was five blocks away because if I left when I was in the shop or outside, it would cause a lot of strange looks." He says, scratching his head. I nod. "I understand." "Mia…" Adam mumbles. Dark bags are under his eyes, and he stares blankly at the wall. "Adam, buddy, do you want to go get lunch?" "Mia…" He sobs. That feels like a punch in the gut. I hate seeing my baby brother so broken. It's caused him grief for a month and a half now. Sam walks over to Adam and hugs him. Adam buries his face in his chest and heartbroken sobs emit from him. I sigh and sit down on the couch, drinking my coffee. "Well, what do we do now?" I ask. Samandriel starts laughing suddenly. Laughing so hard he doubles over. I look over at him with a raised eyebrow. "Did I say something funny?" I ask. Samandriel shakes his head and stops laughing, but now it turns to giggling. "No." He says, trying not to laugh at whatever there was to laugh at. Samandriel hands Sam a cup of coffee and Sam nods a thanks before taking a large gulp then turning back to Adam and hugging him, stroking his hair in an attempt to comfort my heartbroken brother. "Here, Adam," Samandriel says, handing him a hot chocolate and a blueberry muffin. "Thank you, Samandriel." Adam mutters, taking a sip of hot chocolate and a small bite out of his muffin. He turns to look out of the large, garage sized window that looks out to the ocean. He takes another bite, swallows, then continues to stare. Samandriel sighs. "I will keep looking for Mia, even though she is hidden." He says. With a flap of his wings he's gone, leaving me alone with a very depressed, very heartbroken baby brother, my younger brother, two cups of coffee, one cup of hot chocolate, an apple pie, and a blueberry muffin. *Mia's POV* I hear wings flapping and Samandriel stands there with a white paper bag. I look at him curiously. "What's in the bag?" I ask, getting up from the couch and walking over to him. "I got you hot chocolate and a double chocolate chunk muffin with powdered sugar." He reads from the bag. My wings fluff out suddenly, then I tuck them away. "Aww! Thank you Samandriel." I send him a playful glare. "Did you get my favorite?" I ask. "Yes. I got you an extra large with extra whipped cream and hot fudge and chocolate chips." I smile, and take the cup from him. "Thank you, Samandriel." "Your welcome." He says. A month have passed, and it's August 7th. Samandriel hasn't told my friends that I'm alive, and I'm grateful. I just need to be off the grid, away from Adam for a while until I can sort out my emotions. "Samandriel, I am feeling conflicted." "Why is that?" He asks, rubbing my cheek. "I don't know." I sigh, honestly. "I feel like I should just go back…But I feel like if I do, my friends won't welcome me back with open arms. Maybe I should message them…Tell them I'm okay." Samandriel nods. "That sounds good to me." Samandriel gives me a friendly hug before he leaves to walk around somewhere. I speak telepathically to Dean. 'Dean…' He doesn't respond. I try again. 'Dean…Dean…' No response. 'Dean…' No answer. 'Dean Winchester.' I say weakly, emotions jamming my throat, making it hard to breathe. Dean jumps up and his eyes are wide. *Dean's POV* I rub my tired eyes slowly, getting up to get a glass of water. 'Dean…' I jump. I swear that could have been… No. I'm going insane. Insane from the grief. 'Dean…Dean…' I'm still betting on shock and grief. There was no word on Mia for two and a half months. Emotions jam in my throat. But I have to make sure. I don't answer. 'Dean…' I have to make sure. 'Dean Winchester.' That's when I feel the hot tears. *Mia's POV* 'Mia…' His voice sounds chocked. Why wouldn't it be? 'Hi.' I say. 'Are you okay?' Panic sets in him. 'Yes.' I say. 'Adam's been worried about you, you know.' He says gently. 'I don't care.' I say evenly. 'I just need a break from all this. I need to get away it all.' I say to him. 'Okay…If you ever decide to come back…' I nod, accepting but not refusing his invitation. 'Dean…Please don't tell your brothers that I am alive. I want to speak to them individually first.' I need more time to gather my thoughts. He nods. 'Thank you, Dean.' I smile to him in my mind, giving him a hug as if I were right next to him. 'Your welcome Mia.' 'Dean…I love you…' He smiles. 'Love you too.' He says quietly. I smile. Another week has gone by and I feel different. I don't know why, but I feel like something's off. I walk around the town and I feel demonic presences. I turn into an alleyway and see three people with black eyes. "Oh. Hello little angel." One says, walking over to me. My eyes glow white. "That's cute." One takes out an angel blade. Panic sets in on me. 'Dean…DEAN! HELP!' I scream like a banshee. (And trust me, I know what I'm taking about.) 'Mia, what's wrong?' 'Demons!' I yell. 'Samandriel,' I say in my mind quickly, 'Get Dean to teleport to me, now. Please.' 'I understand.' Dean runs up to me, holding Ruby's knife. "Dean Winchester. How nice of you to drop by." "What do you want?" I ask, ready for a smiting. "We're going to rip your wings off and kill you." One demon says in a gravely voice. Feeling threatened, I let my white eyes grow bright till the demons begin smoke out. "Oh no you don't." I lock the one of the demons in it's host and smite him. Dean goes on the attack and stabs another one. After the last one dies, I sigh. "Thanks Dean." I say. "Mia, um, Adam…" I feel sadness and rage bubble in my blood. "What do you want with him?" Dean swallows. "He's really sorry." "I don't care," I reply. "I need to collect my things, anyway." "Mia-" "No." "Mia-" "No." I reply firmly. "I'm just going to collect my stuff." "O-ok." Dean says defeated, looking down and slumping his shoulders. I touch Dean's forehead and teleport to the beach house. Dean nods a thanks, and I nod back a thanks. Adam sits there at the bed, his back turned to me, with Sam's gigantic arm around him. I can't speak for a minute, I try to, but I can't. Emotions settle in my throat like a white hot coal. "Adam." I finally say. Sam's head snaps up at the sound of my voice. Adam's eyes grow wide and he gapes at me. He doesn't look to good. A trail of dried tears etch his pale cheeks. His eyes are red and raw around the edges from crying. His fingers shake slightly and he holds the promise ring that I threw in the sand. He looks like hell. Good. Before he can see anything, I cut him off. "I'm not here for you, you spineless dick. I'm here for my things, asshole. So before you can say anything, don't." I snap. Adam looks down, defeated. "You know something, Adam," I say, venom forming in my voice. The window pops loudly to my right with a large crack in it, startling my friends. Wind whips up outside, breaking the window into a million pieces. Their heads snap back over to me. "I wish I had never met you, Adam. Then there would be no need to impress you, no need to want you, no need for loving you, no need for crying over you, no need for heartbreaks, no need for pain or tears, no need for forgotten promises, no need for rejected hugs, no dreams or nightmares about you, no empty words, no need for crying myself to sleep, no need for acting like you care, and no need for everything you've done to make me feel like absolutely nothing for the past two months. I don't miss or dare DREAM of the future I could've had with you. I imagined, in those nine months, that we'd grow up, get married, have kids, then die of old age, our headstones right next to each other, old with age. I loved you! But you lied. For nine months, you LIED TO ME! And for that, Adam Milligan Winchester, I hate you!" Adam flinches and stays silent. I can tell my words were like a bullet to him. "I'm here to collect my things," I growl out. I angrily find my clothes and grab everything I need, before turning to Adam. "I hate you." *Adam's POV* "Adam." My head snaps up. I turn and stare at Mia. Mia's alive! There's more guilt ripping at my heart. I try to say something, but she cuts me off. "I wish I had never met you, Adam. Then there would be no need to impress you, no need to want you, no need for loving you, no need for crying over you, no need for heartbreaks, no need for pain or tears, no need for forgotten promises, no need for rejected hugs, no dreams or nightmares about you, no empty words, no need for crying myself to sleep, no need for acting like you care, and no need for everything you've done to make me feel like absolutely nothing. I don't miss or dare DREAM of the future I could've had with you. I imagined, in those nine months, that we'd grow up, get married, have kids, then die of old age, our headstones right next to each other, weathered down with age. I loved you! But you lied. For nine months, you LIED TO ME! And for that, Adam Milligan Winchester, I hate you!" I flinch. More guilt claws at my throat. She thinks we could have had a future. I wish we had a future, too. She leaves with her stuff. I flinch again, and put my face in my hands. "Mia…" I sob. "Adam…" Sam says, hugging me. "I screwed it up. I b-broke up with her and caused h-her pain…I don't deserve to be here…" I say, getting up. Anger forms in my veins, and I smash the wall with my fist loudly, making my brothers jump. "I screwed up." I pick up a chair and smash it against the wall. I pick up a leg and throw it at the door, where it cracks a little bit, light pours in. "I mess up everything…" I mutter. "Now, because of me, Mia might say yes…" I can feel my voice begin to rise. "Adam, she's not going to say yes." Sam says calmly. "How do you know?" I snap. "YOU broke, Sam. Actually, you two let me become Michael's FUCKING vessel." Dean twitches. I hit home, hard. "Dean was helping me because I couldn't walk!" Sam defends. "Okay, sure, big brother." Sam flinches. "You two left me there to rot!" I yell. I have no idea where this is coming from. I feel like I'm millions of gallons of water hitting a dam, trying to relieve pressure by breaking. "Adam!" Dean says sharply. "SHUT UP!" I roar. "Shut up!" I yell. I try to push past Sam and Dean to go outside, but they stand next to each other like soldiers at attention. "Let me though!" I snap. "No." Adrenaline pumps though my veins instead of blood and I punch Sam in the face. Sam stumbles back, clutching his nose. "Adam!" "WHAT?" I scream. "I messed up…" I mutter. "Move!" I yell at Dean. "No." More adrenaline pumps though my body. "I SAID, MOVE!" I push past Dean. He grabs my shoulder, but I sweep his legs, making my brother fall to the ground. He groans. "Adam! Where are you going?" "To Mia's house." I snap. "And how are you going to get there?" Sam demands. "The car, idiot." I snap, grabbing my jacket. "Adam!" I open the door and slam it behind me. "Stupid." I mutter, walking down the steps. I move over to the Impala and get in. "Adam! No!" I hear Dean yell. I can drive a car, I'm 17, thank you very much. I drive away before my brothers can do anything else but watch in horror as I drive away. *Mia's POV* Why exactly did Adam break up with me? There's no logical answer. I feel numbness. I haven't cut. I don't want to. Why don't I want to? For the past two months, I felt nothing. I mutter incoherent words of worthlessness to myself. I hate myself. A few hours have passed by and I hear a knock at the door. Muttering, I silently hope it's not one of my neighbors, coming to check up on me. I don't want to be bothered by anyone. I just want to be alone. I feel trapped in my own mind. I open the door and my face immediately becomes hard. The one person I absolutely hate is at my doorstep. "Adam." I say. "Mia…" I let my eyes glow white dimly with pure hate. I should smite him, but I want to know why he's here. "Why are you here?" I ask, my voice icy. "I just want to talk." "Fine." I let him into my house. I stare at him coldly. "So…You wanted to talk. Talk." I say, sitting down on the couch. "Mia…I miss you." "I know you do." His eyes are sad. "But I don't miss you." He winces. "Adam, I don't think I can forgive you." I say honestly. He looks down. "Not yet. I wish we had a future together, but you just didn't want that. Now I don't know the reason, but I can't believe that you…" I take a deep breath. "Broke up with me. Even after two months, I still don't know why." "I don't either. Mia-" "I still need some time think. I am sorry, Adam." He buries his face in his hands and starts crying softly. I wrap an arm around him. Wait. I pull my arm off of him after I'm over my shock. "I'm sorry Adam." I say again. "Can…Can we at least be friends?" He asks, a slight quiver to his voice. I nod. "Friends." He seems happy with that, and so am I. "Thank you, Mia." "Your welcome Adam." I nod again. "I will send you and the impala back to the beach house. I'm sure Sam and Dean are worried about you." "Mia…Are you…Are you going to say yes to Lilith?" I knew that question was coming sooner or later. I shake my head. "No." He takes a deep breath of relief. "Okay." He seems to accept that answer. "Goodbye, Adam." "Bye, Mia." I snap my fingers and he's gone. Three weeks have passed. Time certainly does fly. I decide to go and walk around town for a little bit. I feel eyes on me as I turn into a corner. I can't believe that it's been a year and a month that my dads dead. I'm glad. I feel my skin begin to burn for some reason. I think I'm remembering the insanity he put me though. I don't like it. I push the thoughts out of my head. I decide to fly to the beach house. I'm lonely. I appear in the back of the living room, and my friends don't look up. I feel…different…there's something wrong with me. There's something seriously wrong with me. More pain. "Hi, guys." I feel pain in my brain. Why? Why am I in pain? 'Hello Mia.' Demon. Can angels be possessed by demons? Is that possible? "Guys!" I yell. "There's a demon!" They don't hear me. "Hi Mia." Dean says. "Guys!" I yell. They don't hear me again. "How have you been?" Notme asks them. "Good." They say at the same time. "GUYS!" I yell. It's not working! 'ADAM!' I scream in my mind. He doesn't respond. I hate this! My hand twitches. Demon knife! I run with much difficultly over to the impala. I can feel panic wash over the demon. There's a burning sensation in my lungs. I feel like I'm drowning. Fear… Anger… Pain… I open the door, twitching slightly. "Mia, what are you doing?" Sam asks, staring at me in horror. Breathing heavily, I grab holy water and dump it on my hand. I, or rather, the demon, screams. My eyes grow wide with a wild look in my eyes. "Demon!" Dean realizes. The demon panics. Apparently, it realizes that the hunters are Sam, Dean and Adam Winchester. My eyes go black. "Hi guys!" The demon says in fake cheerfulness. I flick my hand and Sam and Dean fly over to the wall, groaning. Adam turns back to me/demon me. "She hates you, you know." I don't argue with that. Adam flinches, the glares at me/demon me. "Get out of her." "No." "Why are you possessing her?" Dean's voice sounds strained. "She's going to say yes to Lilith." The demon says, like its the most obvious thing in the world. "No." "Yes, she will." I have to clamp and mental hand over the demon, silencing it. I feel more in control. The invisible force against Sam and Dean fall, and they slide down to the ground, swallowing and breathing heavily. "Adam," I say shakily, handing the demon knife to him. "Do it." I whisper. "No." His voice quivers a little. "You'd-" I groan. "Be doing me a favor. Send the demon back-" I groan again. The demon's taking over my body, again. "To hell. So it won't be able to take possession of anyone else." My chest burns. "N-no." Adam's will is strong, I'll give him that. "It will make me say yes." I remind him. "She will kill millions of people. I would rather die than be her vessel. P-please. I don't want to hurt anyone. Especially you three." " "No." A tear runs down his face. "I won't." "Please." He shakes his head. "No." "Fine." I say, grabbing the knife. "Mia!" Dean gasps out. I plunge the knife into my chest. Immediately, orange light fills my body. The demon screams. I feel my eyes begin to close. "Goodbye." I whisper. My eyes close fully. *Adam's POV* "Mia!" My eyes grow wide. Orange light fills her body as the blade kills the demon. But what about Mia? "I love you." I swear I hear her say. Her eyes begin to close. I run over to her. Her eyes close fully. "Hey hey hey…Mia." I whisper. She falls to the ground and I catch her. "Mia…" She's not moving. "Mia…I got you, I got you don't worry. Don't worry. I'm gonna take care of you. I-I love you. I love you." Her breathing is slow. Her eyes close and she doesn't move. "Mia…Mia!" I scream. "Oh god no! No! Mia!" I feel salty tears streak my face. "Mia!" I lean down and tuck a strand of smooth brown hair behind her ear. She moans. My head snaps over to her face. "Hi." I whisper. "Adam…" She reaches over and plants a kiss on my cheek. "Thank you." She whispers. Her eyes roll into the back of her head. Oh god! No! "Mia!" I yell. Her eyes flutter open again. She groans. "Hey, Mia." "H-hi." She whispers. "I'm sorry." "I know." She smiles sadly. "Thanks." "Your welcome." Dean groans. "Dean!" Mia exclaims, getting up from the floor. She walks over to him and hugs him. Sam moans and holds his head. "Sammy!" Mia hugs him, ruffling his short hair before standing up. "Mia, how did you take control of the demon?" Dean asks. "What do you mean?" Mia asks, frowning. "How did you beat the demon back?" Mia realizes what he means. "I am the strongest angel as of now, since the archangels are either trapped or dead. Most angels can only break though the demonic hold if they have a strong will for a little more than a minute, but that drains their powers for a short time. But since I am a Nephilim, I can fight the demon quicker and with more success." Dean nods like he understands. "Mia, the demon said it'll make you say yes." "Yes. I am aware." Sam frowns. "You mean you were awake?" "Yes." "What did you feel?" "God, are you my therapist? I felt like I wanted to cut." I freeze. "Y-you did?" She nods, but I can sense the mental shields going up. "Oh, and I wanted to kill Adam." "What?" "Yeah. I don't know why." She sighs. Her eyes grow wide. "The demon wanted to kill me, and I almost let it." Sam frowns. "What do you mean?" She shrugs again. "I don't know. But for the past two months I've hated myself." There's more guilt clawing at my heart. "And I just…I don't know…felt in pain?" I flinch. "It's a normal thing, really. I mean, why even try to fight it when you feel like your dying? It doesn't make any sense." I flinch again. Mia sighs. "Adam, thank you for helping me. I am going back to my house." "Mia-" "No. I won't say yes. I'm not stupid. I haven't cut in eleven months because I promised you. I don't intend to do it anytime soon." "Okay." "Goodbye." She leaves. Dean has a faraway look in his eye. "Dean, are you okay?" He continues to stare at the spot where Mia left. "Dean?" He looks over at Sam. "What?" "You were kinda out of it. Are you okay?" He nods, but stares at the floor now. He sighs and walks over to the couch, stretching before sitting down. "Yeah. I'm okay." *Mia's POV* 'Hey, Dean.' I say, fluttering my wings a bit. 'Hi Mia.' 'Where are you?' 'In the impala.' 'Where are Sam and Adam?' 'Their sleeping.' 'Do you want to come over?' I ask politely. 'Sure.' He nods. "Hi Mia." I turn and smile. "Hi Dean." I run over and hug him. Surprised, he falls backwards and falls on the couch. I wrap my arms around his lower back, rubbing my hands softly on his cotton shirt. Dean holds me closer and I nuzzle my head into his chest, feeling his steady heartbeat. "Hey, Dean…I want to ask you something." I whisper, my breath warming his skin. I can see heat rise into his cheeks. I look up at him. "Yes, Mia?" "Do you want to go out for pie?" His eyes widen. "Really?" I nod. "Really." "Come on," I hand Dean his apple pie and hand the lady at the register money and take my chocolate-vanilla-extra-whipped-cream-hot fudge-brownies-chocolate-chips-with-gram-cracker-crust-pie. (Yes, it's a costume made pie.) "Ah…pie." Dean sighs dreamily. "Thank you Mia." "You're welcome." We sit down at a table and I run my thumb over his knuckles. Dean digs into his pie and I giggle. Dean looks up at me, and a spot of apple and caramel sticks to the corner of his lip. I smile and wipe away the spot with my thumb. "Thank you." He whispers. I stick my thumb in my mouth and get the spot off of my finger. Dean smiles widely, then blushes. "Come on, lets go back." "Okay." We walk out of the bakery and fly back to my house. I set the pie down on the table and walk over to the couch. "Do you want to watch a movie?" I ask. "Sure." I randomly choose a movie and put it in. A little while into the movie, my head falls against his shoulder and his arm wraps around my waist. "Hey, Mia…um…" I look over at him. "Yes?" He stares at me. "What's wrong?" "Can I ask you something?" "You can tell me anything." I say, urging him on. "Um…are you going to say yes to Lilith?" Why does they constantly ask me this? Of course I won't. I shake my head. "No. Never. I won't break the promises I made to you three." I say truthfully. Dean nods, obviously relieved. "If you want to stay the night, there's a spare bedroom across from my room. I'll send your brothers a message that you'll be staying the night." Dean nods. "Thank you." My head falls back to his shoulder. I close my eyes and fall asleep. *Dean's POV* I look over at Mia, who fell asleep on my shoulder. I turn off the TV and carefully pick up Mia's sleeping figure in my arms. I walk up the stairs with her in my arms and open the door to her room. I place her under the covers of her bed and give her a kiss on the forehead. I crawl next to her and wrap my arm around her waist. She shifts closer to me and sighs. I pull the covers up to her neck, move her curly brown hair away from her neck so it's over her shoulder, and fall asleep. Morning light streams though the window and I yawn. I look around and remember where I am. I'm at Mia's house, in her room, in her bed, sleeping next to her. I give her a kiss on the forehead before flipping over to my side. I crack my eyes open to see my brothers and Samandriel. Samandriel nods as a greeting, then leaves. I jump and almost bump into Mia. "Well Dean, getting comfy?" Adam asks harshly. But he doesn't yell it, because of Mia's peaceful sleeping position. "What are you doing here?" I whisper, trying not to wake up Mia. "We were looking for you," Sam says, looking over at Mia. "You were gone when we woke up." "Why are you here, exactly?" Adam asks. "Mia wanted me to come over. She was lonely, so I agreed to come over." Adam stares at me, but I swear I see something flash across his face. Is he…Is he jealous? Oh god, he is. I smirk inwardly. Mia rolls over and her sky blue eyes open. "Good morning Dean." She says, a small hint of morning voice laces with her voice. "Good morning." I whisper. Her eyes open a bit more and she smiles at me. Her eyes move over to Sam. "Sam!" She sounds happy. She disappears and immediately reappears next to Sam and plants a small kiss on my brothers forehead. She notices Adam, but only nods in acknowledgement. "Mia, what are you doing?" Adam demands harshly. "What do you mean?" She frowns. Adam gestures to me. Realization ghosts across her face. "Oh. That." Adam nods. "That…" She sighs. "Is none of your business." Adam's face goes red. "The hell it is!" He yells. Mia doesn't flinch. "You could've told me." Mia arches an eyebrow. "Then what? Hmm? You'll threaten me? Kill me? Go ahead." Her eyes glow white dimly. "I'd love to see you try." Adam places a hand on my shoulder and his fist reels back to punch me. Mia steps between us and glares at Adam, her eyes glowing dangerously bright. "Do not touch him or I swear I will break your arm." Then she turns to me. "Hey, Dean, do you want the rest of your pie?" I nod. "Sure." Mia nods. She kisses my cheek. "I'll go get your pie Dean." "Okay." I whisper. Mia walks out of her room and downstairs. Adam stares at me once the door closes. "What the hell, Dean?" He growls. "What?" I ask confused. "When did…" He's at a loss for words. He frowns at me. "Why are you being this close to her?" He asks harshly. "Why did you break up with her?" I snap back, ten times harsher. Adam flinches. "I don't like you being this close to her." "Jesus," I whistle. "Jealous much, Addie?" Adam glares at me. "Are you dad? You can't tell me what to do." I snap. "We will talk about this later." Sam interrupts. "Fine." Mia walks into the room and sets both pies on her nightstand. She turns back to us and suddenly screams in agony. "Mia!" I run over towards her. "No…No!" She whispers. "DEAN!" My eyes widen. She's having a panic attack. No no no! "Mia…it's okay…It's not real…" Mia begins to twitch. "SAM! Get away from him!" She screams, clutching her head. "AHHHH!" She stares blankly at me. "Dean…I-I'm scared…" "It's okay…your going to be okay…" I whisper. "I love y-you…" She whispers. "I love you t-too." Mia grips my hand. "No…St-stop." She whispers. Her eyes grow wide and she stares at Adam. "Oh god…Stop it…please…" "Mia, Mia, hey. Hey hey hey, look at me." Her blue eyes lock onto my face. "Your okay…fight it, Mia, fight it." I say. Her eyes close. "No…s-stop. I want the pain to end…" She mutters. "Mia, your gonna be okay…your gonna fine…" Sam says, gripping her shoulder. Her eyes lock onto my face. "I love you…All of you…" she begins chocking, her eyes wide. "Mia…Mia…Hey…" I mutter. "Mia…" Her eyes flutter close. "No…No…" Adam whispers. I wrap my arms around her, trying to feel some comfort. Mia gasps suddenly, sitting up in my arms. She coughs and buries her face in my chest. "Dean…your alive. Your okay…" She whispers. "Your okay!" She reaches up and kisses me cheek. She smiles at my brothers. Then she turns to me. "Dean, can I sing?" "Sure." She clears her throat and begins to sing. "The world was on fire and no one could save me but you. It's strange what desire will make foolish people do. I never dreamed that I'd meet somebody like you. And I never dreamed that I knew somebody like you. No, I don't want to fall in love. (This world is only gonna break your heart) No, I don't want to fall in love. (This world is only gonna break your heart) With you. With you. (This world is only gonna break your heart) What a wicked game to play, to make me feel this way. What a wicked thing to do, to let me dream of you. What a wicked thing to say, you never felt this way. What a wicked thing to do, to make me dream of you and, I want to fall in love. (This world is only gonna break your heart) No, I want to fall in love. (This world is only gonna break your heart) With you. The world was on fire and no one could save me but you. It's strange what desire will make foolish people do. I never dreamed that I'd love somebody like you. And I never dreamed that I'd lose somebody like you no, No, I want to fall in love. (This world is only gonna break your heart) No, I want to fall in love. (This world is only gonna break your heart) With you. (This world is only gonna break your heart) With you. (This world is only gonna break your heart) No, I... (This world is only gonna break your heart) (This world is only gonna break your heart) Nobody loves no one." She finishes the song, and she stares at Adam. I swear she was looking at Adam the entire song. Adam looks close to crying. Mia sighs. She begins to twitch, but it immediately goes away. "No I…don't want to fall in love…No I…don't want to fall in love…with you…" She sings quietly. "I'm going to go make some breakfast, you can come if you want." *Mia's POV* I walk past Adam, and I can hear his thoughts. Their a mix of pain, anger, and regret. "Mia," he says. I turn to him. "Yes, Adam?" He takes a deep breath. "I didn't mean to leave but because I did, now I can barely breathe. I love you so much it hurts, I just wish you'll look back. But you won't. I was never good enough for you, all I ever did was hurt you. And I'm so very sorry that I did and didn't even realize. I'm sorry, I know it was all my fault. I know you have all the reasons to leave and shut me out but I wish every second of every minute that you'll find one reason to stay. But the truth is you won't, you'll move on and I'll be alone. But that's fair. I left, so now your leaving me. But it hurts worse than anything in the world. I still love you Mia. I always have." I smile. It sounds like he means it, there's no trace of lies in his voice. I smile once again. It takes me a only a few seconds to reply to what he said. "Only once in your life, I truly believe with my heart and soul, you find someone who can completely turn your world around, and make your life brighter. You tell them things that you've never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can't wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. I love you." Adam smiles, and I see tears prick his eyes. "I love you." Adam says, walking over to me. "I love you too." I whisper, hugging him. It feels so good to be in his arms again. I feel like my world just became safer. For three months, I haven't been in his arms. Haven't felt the comfort of his muscular arms, whispering loving things in my ear and kissing the top of my head. Adam smiles. I lean up and kiss his cheek. "I'll go make breakfast." I say, walking out the door and flying downstairs. It doesn't take long for me to make breakfast. I look over at the clock and it reads 7:19. "Breakfast is ready!" I call. I hear three sets of feet pound down the steps. "Breakfast!" Dean calls like a little kid. I laugh. "Okay Dean, here is your bacon egg and cheese on a bagel…" I set the plate down on the table. "Thank you Mia." I smile and peck his cheek. "Your welcome." I turn and grab Sam's plate. "Okay, Sam, here is your pancakes with a side of salad." Dean raises an eyebrow. "Salad? For breakfast?" "Yes, Sammy likes his salad, doesn't he?" I tease. Sam's very tanned face has a small hint of red, although its hard to see. "Sammy does like his salad." Adam muses. "Hey!" Sam blushes. We laugh. I grab Adam's plate from the table and set it down. "And here is your waffles with a side of strawberries." I say, smiling. "Thank you Mia." He says. I give him a kiss on the forehead. I pull away but his arm wraps around my waist and he pulls me into him. "Oh!" I giggle, startled. He gives me a quick kiss on the lips. "C'mon. Let me go. I gotta get breakfast." I whine, pulling him off me. Adam pouts but lets me go. I grab my plate of very warm bread, eggs and bacon, carefully placing the fluffy scrambled eggs on top of the first slice of warm bread, then the perfectly cooked bacon, then add some more eggs, another slice of bacon before putting the other piece of bread on. I smile at how perfect everything is right now. I notice my friends staring at me, their food untouched. "What's wrong?" "Thank you, Mia…thank you, for everything." I smile. "No problem." My friends eat and I watch them with amusement, but it goes away. "Guys, I think I'm going to say y-" Adam's eyes grow wide. "No!" "Mia! No!" Dean and Sam say, horrified. "I don't want to live with these nightmares anymore. I don't like it at all. I can't keep going on like this anymore." I say miserably. Adam shakes his head. "I can't lose you." He says, placing his hands on the table. Their clenched so hard his knuckles are white. "Mia, after all that, holding out from saying yes to Lilith for eleven months, suddenly your just gonna give in?" Sam asks. "You did." I remind him. Sam winces. "Mia, no." Dean says firmly. "I have to." Adam's jaw clenches and blue eyes meet sapphire ones. Adam stands up abruptly. "Yeah, I'm not gonna let you do this. I can't let you go." He whispers, reaching over to cup my cheek. I smile sadly. "I won't do it yet. I'll hold out. I will try to hold out for as long as I can." "Okay, now that that's cleared up, let's eat!" Dean says, eyeing his food with hungry eyes. I nod. "Eat up." I eat my food in a few bites, smiling as I do so. "Hungry Mia?" Adam asks. I can hear a smirk in his voice. "Yes," I mumble over a mouthful of food. "Very." After we finish eating, I clean the dishes quickly and I feel my eyes begin to droop. What the hell? "I'm tired." I yawn. "Sammy…" I whine. Sam's 'big brother' instincts kick in. "Mia, are you okay?" "Come here." I mutter, moving my hand in a come here gesture. He walks over. I lean my head on his chest and wrap my arm around him. "Sam…I remember when your hair was girly." I giggle. Sam raises an eyebrow. "U-um…" "Now your hair is short! Where's Addie?" "Mia…are you okay?" Sam asks. "No…actually…I'm not. I'm scared." "Of what?" He asks softly. "Of losing you…for losing everything I care about. Dean, Adam, you. I'm scared." I sob, turning into his chest for comfort. "Sammy…" I mumble. Sam wraps his arms around me and pulls me into him. I move my hands to his back and sob, holding him tightly. "You'll be okay." He whispers into my hair. "I believe you." I mutter back. Sam rests his chin on my head and sighs heavily. "You'll be okay." "I hope so." I yawn. "Sorry. I must be tired." Sam nods. "That's okay. You can take a nap." He says, pulling away. "Boys," I call. "Yeah?" "I'm going to take a nap." "Okay," I hear Dean say. "Maybe Adam will join you! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" "Your a pervert, Dean!" I say, heat rising up on my neck. "I know!" He calls, laughing. "I'm coming Mia! Dean, stop smirking like a pervert!" "Sorry, sorry." He muttered, but didn't sound sorry. I hear Adam smack Dean's shoulder and I hear his footsteps. "Adam, I'm tired." I yawn. "Okay. Lets go to bed." I hear Dean laugh. I snap my fingers and Dean yelps. "Ow! Mia!" Adam looks over at me. "What did you do?" "I punched his arm." Incredulous, Adam stares at me. "Really?" I nod. "Really." I stick my tongue out at him. "Come on." I grab his hand and lead him upstairs. "I love you." "I love you too." I flop down on my bed and sigh. "Come here," I say to Adam, beckoning him on my bed. He sits down and wraps an arm around me. "I'm sorry I left." He says quietly. "That's my past. A bump in the road in our relationship. I don't want to remember that. I only want to look at my future. You are my future." I say, running my thumb down his cheek. I yawn. "I'm tired." I say sleepily. "Okay," Adam whispers. "I'll leave you alone." He starts to get up. I grasp his hand. "No. Stay." Adam looks over at me. "Okay, I'll stay." I move under the covers and sigh. Adam leans next to me and wraps his arm around my shoulder. I roll over and sigh. I snap my fingers and I feel an antiposession tattoo appear on my chest. Adam chuckles, then pulls me up onto his lap. I close my eyes and fall asleep. *Adam's POV* Mia falls asleep and I close my eyes. Mia shifts slightly in my arms. The door creeks open and I turn my head over to see Sam and Dean staring at us with smiles on their faces. "What?" I whisper. "Nothing." Dean smiles. I raise my eyebrows. "Okay." "You really love her, don't you?" Sam asks. "I do." I say honestly. "I will always love her." I whisper. "Now, go away. I'm tired and Mia's sleeping." Dean nods and walks over to plant a kiss on Mia's forehead. "See you in a few hours." Sam whispers. Sam closes the door with a soft thud. I kiss Mia's cheek before falling asleep. *Mia's POV* I yawn and roll over. I open my eyes and I see Adam staring at me. "Hi Mia." He whispers. "Hi Adam." I smile. I look over at the clock on the nightstand. 11:19. Wow. We slept for four hours? "Mia! Adam! I hope your not doing anything bad!" I hear Dean call from downstairs. I get up out of bed and walk downstairs. Sam, Dean and some girl with red-brown hair are sitting on the couch, talking. Immediately, my eyes glow white and I flash my wings out menacingly. Dean looks over at me. "Woah, woah Mia. Relax, she's not a demon!" Dean says. "Who is she?" I ask. "This is Charlie Bradbury." I relax. "Um, who is she?" The girl, Charlie, asks. "Mia Comenzo. She's a Nephilim." Sam says. Charlie's eyes widen. "A Nephilim? I thought those were really rare? And aren't they just ranked under Archangels themselves?" I nod. "You seem to be educated in the matter." I smile. Charlie smiles back. Adam comes down the stairs and rubs his eyes. "Babe, your hair is sticking up." I say, walking over to him and fixing a messy tuft of blonde hair, smirking a bit as he sighs. "Thanks." He mumbles, rubbing a hand on his tired face. He moves sluggishly over to the couch and sits down. He blinks sleep out of his eyes and notices Charlie. "Charlie!" He grins. "Hi, Adam." He moves over to her and hugs her. I smile and punch Adam's arm. "What?" He asks tiredly. "Your still half asleep." "Mhm." He mutters. "So Addie, what were you and Mia doing?" Dean asks, smirking a bit. "Sleeping." "For four hours?" He smirks. "Yes." "Are you sure you weren't doing anything else?" My eyes widen. "Oh my god Dean!" I exclaim. "Get your mind out of the gutter!" Adam yells, blushing. "Charlie, do you want anything to drink?" I ask, avoiding anymore awkwardness. "Um, just water, please." She says politely. I nod and get the water. I hand her the water and freeze. What is…What is Lilith doing here? She sighs and walks over to me, and places a hand on my cheek. She directs my eyes to Adam, who begins screaming in pain. I make a strangled noise in the back of my throat. "Now Mia," She says calmly. I look over at Dean, whose eyes are wide. He's yelling something, his lips are moving, but I can't hear him. "O-okay." I mutter. "Mia!" I hear Sam yell desperately in the distance. I turn to him. "Sammy? I-I'm scared." "You have to fight it!" Dean encourages. "Now," Lilith says, turning my attention back to her. "You will say yes. But not right now. I just want to talk, that's all. Well, and then some." Adam begins chocking. He holds his stomach and falls to the floor. "Adam!" I yell. "Stop it!" I say. Lilith flicks her hand and Sam, Charlie and Dean go flying into the wall, held by an invisible force. "Let them go!" I yell. "Mia, this is just a warning." Lilith says. "A warning and nothing else." I nod, fear clear in my eyes. She smiles. "Until next time." She flickers out and I sigh shakily. "Mia, it's not real, it's not real." Adam says soothingly. "I…I know. It's…It's over." I say shakily. "What was that?" Charlie asks, her eyes wide. It looks like her eyes are going to pop out of her head. "Lilith…Lilith tortures me. For the past eleven months, she's been making Adam, Sam and Dean die or get hurt in every possible way I can think of. I have nightmares and as you just saw, powerful daymares. This will continue until I say yes to Lilith." I say shakily. Charlie blinks. "Oh." "Yeah." I sigh. "I've been able to fight it, but I don't know how long I will be able to." "You'll hold out." Four voices say at the same time. "I hope so." It's been an hour after my panic attack. Charlie said she had to leave. I move over to Adam and jump onto his lap. A groan mixed with a laugh spills out of him. I give him a kiss before getting up. I grab my computer and sit down on the couch. After a while of surfing though the Internet, I find something that makes me raise an eyebrow. "Supernatural series by Carver Edland?" Dean, Adam, and Sam's heads snap up to look over at me, freezing on the spot. "Um…Where did you…" "Find that?" I finish. They nod. I shrug. "It came up in my recommendations?" I ask sheepishly. My friends move over to me and stare at the computer screen, then at me. I click on a random link. I scroll down to the comments and read some. "I love you Dean!" Reads one. "This is the best series ever." Reads another. "When are there going to be more books and conventions? Xxx." Reads another. "I love Pamela!" I smirk. Pamela would love that one. "It's a damn shame everyone Sam sleeps with dies." I chuckle at that. "Destiel forever!" I raise an eyebrow at that. I clear my throat and read one. "There are Sam girl's, Dean girl's, and then there are Adam girl's." My eye twitches at that. I peer down at the rest of it and read it out loud. "And…what's a slash fiction?" I swear Sam and Dean smirk. "Slash fiction…as in a couple…Sam slash Dean, Adam slash Sam, and Adam slash Dean. Sometimes all three of us." My mouth drops open. "They do know your brothers…right?" "Doesn't seem to matter." My eyes widen. "Well, that's just sick!" Sam smirks while Dean chuckles. "That was our reaction." I shiver and almost throw up. "Alright," I say, making a very sour face, "I'm gonna read the books." It takes only a week to read all the books. I cried at a few of them, but other than that my expression didn't change the whole time I was reading them. "Well…that was…interesting." I say, blinking. "So, all of that happened?" "Yes." I turn to Sam. "You got addicted to bitch blood?" But I'm smiling. "Yeah. I did." My smile fades. "Damn it, Sam." He frowns. "What?" "You let a demonic bitch manipulate you, and you started the apocalypse." I don't know why I'm getting so upset over something that happened around five years ago. "Yeah…" He hangs his head in guilt. I sigh. 'You dragged Adam/Michael into hell…why?' He looks over at me, surprised I asked that. 'I thought Michael would kill Dean, and I couldn't let that happen.' 'Oh. That makes sense.' I say. Sam nods. 'I protected Adam, even when our bodies were out of the cage, and our souls remained there, I protected Adam. And I protected Adam like Dean protects me.' I smile and nod. "Hey, guys, do you want to go out for lunch?" Dean perks up at the mention of lunch. "Lunch!" He grins. "C'mon. Lets go." He whines when were not moving fast enough. "Don't make me throw a lightning bolt at you." Sam groans. "Don't…Don't remind us of that." "Remind you of what?" I frown. "We had a rough encounter with Zeus, Artemis and Prometheus." "For a goddess, Artemis was hot." Dean grins lazily, probably thinking of Artemis…unclothed. "Put her clothes back on in your mind and tell me the story." So they do. "That sucks." "Big time." Adam agrees. We pile into the impala and drive to a McDonald's. Dean got a cheeseburger, Sam got a hamburger, I got chicken fingers, a large fry and a large chocolate milkshake, and Adam got a cheeseburger. We drive to a nice little field that isn't too far away from my house. It's nice. I eat another chicken finger and I see Sam looking at me with an amused smile on his face. "What?" I ask, frowning. "Wow…hungry much, Mia?" Sam teases. "Yes." I mumble, eating a french fry. "I'm hungry." I mutter. "Is there something wrong with that?" My frown deepens. "No." Sam says. I open the door and immediately hit with a nice breeze. "Ah…" I say, smiling. "This is nice." I grin. "Hey Dean, do we have any blankets?" I ask. "Yeah, we do." He says. "Good." "Why?" "I'm gonna go sit down in the meadow, smart one." I say without any heat. Dean holds his hands up in mock defense. "Sorry." He blushes sheepishly. "That's okay." I smirk. I grab the blankets out of the trunk and spread the blankets out dead-center of the field. After everything is set up, I motion for my friends to come over. I start to sing a random song. "When everything turns to black, you don't know where to go, you need something to justify your soul. Silence is broken, confidence is gone. Everything you're holding on to, falls. All the people selling truths, on every corner now. The wait until the fear has knocked you down. All the rules are changing now, you're living in sin, everything around you is caving in. All you're holding on to, slipping like water through your hands. And you sing la la la la, la la la la, la la la la. Ya you sing la la la la, la la la la, la la la la. Far off in the distance, somewhere you can't see, allegiances have formed your destiny. Opposition all around, feeding off your soul. Trying hard to swallow up you whole, and the demons all around you waiting, for you to sell your soul. They're singing la la la la, la la la la, la la la la. They're singing la la la la, la la la la, la la la la. Oh la la la la la, Oh la la la la la They're singing la la la la, la la la la, la la la la. They're singing la la la la, la la la la, la la la la." Dean stares at me. "You know that song?" I nod. "My mom taught me that song when I was little." "Oh. Want to know what's weird?" Dean comments. "What?" Adam asks. "How that song fits well with our life." I blink. "How?" "The lines far off in the distance, somewhere you can't see, allegiances have formed your destiny. Opposition all around, feeding off your soul. Trying hard to swallow up you whole, and the demons all around you waiting, for you to sell your soul. How well that fits in. I sold my soul to get Sam back, how all the demons knew I was going to sell my soul, how the angels knew that we were the vessels, and how I was supposed to be Michael's vessel…" He casts a sideways glance at Adam, and they both flinch. "How Sam said yes to Lucifer," Sam winces. "And how your fighting off Lilith." I wince, then nod. "It does." A minute of silence passes through us before I speak up again. "Hey, Adam," "Yeah?" "I'm gonna wear your flannel!" I say, smirking. "Wha-" I jump up and run to the impala and open the trunk. I throw random things to the side until I find his red checkered flannel. I smile and put it on. I walk over, sitting down on the blanket. "So, how do I look?" Nice." Adam grins. "You should wear flannels more often." I blush. "Thanks." He plants a kiss on my forehead. "Mia, I have a question." Dean says. "Yeah, what is it?" "What happens if you say yes to Lilith?" "Millions of people die. Croatian Virus spreads like wildfire all across the globe, but not as bad as when you and Adam were thrown into 2014 in the year 2009." Adam and Dean wince. Sam looks away, averting his eyes to a flower off in the distance. "Oh. I'm sorry…I didn't mean to bring up those memories." I say sincerely. "That's okay." Sam says. *Adam's POV* "I'm hungry." Mia complains. "You just ate." Dean blinks. "I know." She whines. "I want some Resses." "We'll get you some." I promise. "Or…" Mia disappears and reappears, holding eight things of king sized Resses. She looks happy. "And yes Sam, I payed." Sam nods. "Can I eat?" She asks, looking at Dean. Dean smiles. Mia grins and tears a package open. "Want one?" She asks us. We nod. She hands us one each. "Oh, I'm gonna go put the rest in the cooler. "What cooler?" Dean asks. Mia smirks. "Exactly." She waves her hand and a cooler appears. "See?" She smirks again. "I love you." I whisper. "I love you too Adam. No matter what, that doesn't change, ever." I smile and pull her into a hug. Mia reaches up and gives me a kiss on my cheek. She pulls away, but I crash my lips onto hers in a romantic way. She smiles and pulls away. "I love all of you. You guys make me feel lucky. I don't care if your cursed. We're family, forever. That won't change. Ever. I swear." She says. Mia wraps her arms around Sam, who hugs her back. Dean smiles, looking at peace for the first time in a long time. Mia tackles all of us, pulling us into a group hug that lasts forever. She gives us a kiss on the forehead. First Sam, then Dean, then me. Her arms wrap around my neck before pressing her lips to mine. "I love you. Don't forget it." She pecks my cheek, and as she pulls away, she freezes, staring blankly in the distance. Oh God…No! *Mia's POV* "Hi Mia. You know something…" Lilith says, leaning against a tree. "Yeah, and what is that?" I ask, a smartass smirk pulling at my lips. "I can give you anything you wanted. Your mom. Kids, husband, a job. A family. The whole nine yards." I shake my head. "No. You can't. Your lying." I look over at Dean. "Say yes." He says. That startles me so much I fall backwards, laying on my back. "What?" I ask, wide eyed. "Say yes." "Wh-" "You'd be doing us a favor." Sam says. I stare him. "H-how?" I frown. "We don't like you. We would rather have you gone." Tears form in my eyes. "Don't say that to me. Not after all this…" This has to be a trick. Lilith is making them say that. It's just a trick to make me say yes, right? "Sorry, but he's right." Dean chimes in. I sob. "Adam…W-what do you think? Sh-Should I say yes?" Adam stares directly at me. "Yes, you should. I don't love you. I never did. Your broken in so many ways. I've always, always hated you." Every word that is directed at me is like a knife digging into my stomach. I flinch. "So yeah, you should say yes." I nod, averting my eyes. "Okay," I say softly. "I will." I turn to Lilith. There's no going back now. If my friends don't want me, then I will succumb to her. I will give into her. I will end…everything… I look at my friends one last time before turning back to Lilith, who is waiting expectantly for my answer. "Yes." And everything goes black. END OF YOURS. 


End file.
